Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas are preparing to meet in Cairo next week in a renewed push to bridge their long-running divisions and forge a common approach to mounting challenges facing the Palestinian cause, sources familiar with the talks said Friday.
The planned meeting is expected to revive national dialogue between the two groups as Palestinian factions navigate a rapidly shifting political landscape and renewed diplomatic efforts over Gaza and the broader Palestinian issue.
Delegations from the two groups are preparing for the meeting, which is expected to take place Monday following months of contacts aimed at reviving dialogue, said sources.
The planned meeting comes days after Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Khalil al-Hayya led a delegation to Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials and meetings with representatives of Palestinian factions on developments concerning the Palestinian cause.
Sources said the talks come amid challenges affecting the broader Palestinian political system and the Palestinian cause, as efforts are underway to reorganize Palestinian political affairs ahead of legislative elections scheduled for November.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree July 9 setting Nov. 28 as the date for legislative elections in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The vote would be the first since 2006.
The Central Elections Commission began voter registration and data updates Aug. 15. Hamas has said it intends to participate as part of a broad national coalition.
The sources said Hamas had invited Fatah to two meetings since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, seeking to discuss a political and national way out of the crisis. Neither invitation resulted in a meeting, and the sources did not give a reason.
Contacts between the leaderships of the two groups continued later on, holding an open-ended dialogue session, but the meeting was not held, they added.
Fatah and Hamas have remained politically divided since 2007 despite numerous rounds of dialogue and reconciliation agreements brokered by Arab and international parties in the ensuing years.
Abbas previously met late Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in Algiers in July 2022, under mediation by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
In October 2022, Palestinian groups, including Fatah and Hamas, signed a reconciliation agreement in Algiers committing to hold legislative and presidential elections within a year. The elections were not held.
Palestinian groups, including Fatah and Hamas, signed the Beijing Declaration in July 2024, which outlined steps to end their political division and strengthen national unity. The declaration did not lead to an end to the split.
Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh contacted Hamas after the legislative election date was announced, according to sources. The two factions had initially considered meeting in July, but the meeting was postponed indefinitely without explanation.
The groups recently agreed to hold a meeting in Cairo next week under Egyptian auspices, said sources.
Cairo has for years played a central role in mediating Palestinian internal dialogue, particularly between Fatah and Hamas, although its efforts have not ended the political division.
The sources said the significance of the planned meeting lies in whether it can "test the possibility of turning the pressures imposed by Israel’s genocide on Gaza into a new internal Palestinian process” that could reshape relations between the main political factions, particularly ahead of the upcoming elections.
