ROME, March 20 (Reuters) - The Italian government denied on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema had telephoned the Islamist Hamas leader of the new Palestinian unity government a day earlier in a show of support, as reported in Gaza.

With Israel eager to maintain a boycott of any Palestinian administration that includes Hamas, any contact with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh is diplomatically sensitive, as seen by Israel's sharp reaction to Norway's contacts with Haniyeh.

Haniyeh's office said on Monday he had spoken by phone with D'Alema who, according to the Palestinian statement, "blessed the formation of the national unity government and stressed that Italy supports this government".

But the Italian foreign ministry said in a statement that "this information is unfounded". It said D'Alema had written to the moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last Friday "reaffirming Italy's friendship".

D'Alema told Abbas in the letter that "the new government will be judged also on its ability to restore negotiations with Israel", the Italian ministry said.

In an interview on Monday, D'Alema told Reuters that while the government formed on Saturday between Hamas and secular Fatah was "not exactly" what Europe wanted, it would be "a serious mistake to shut the door in their faces".

He said it was encouraging that Hamas was a minority in a partnership including independents and moderates, adding that a condemnation of the new administration by al Qaeda indicated that "they must be doing something right". (Additional reporting by Roberto Landucci)

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