Rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo on Thursday aimed at ending their decade-long split following negotiations overseen by Egypt, negotiators told reporters. It was signed by new Hamas deputy leader Salah al-Aruri and Azzam al-Ahmad, the head of the Fatah delegation for the talks, according to Fatah and Hamas sources in the negotiations. The deal includes 3,000 members of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority’s police force redeploying to Gaza, a member of the negotiating team told AFP on condition of anonymity. He added that all Palestinian factions would begin wider negotiations on the formation of a unity government in the coming two weeks. Hamas seized Gaza from Fatah in a near civil war in 2007 and the two factions have been at loggerheads ever since.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 12, 2017 12:22 UTC