Palestinian groups to ‘immediately’ implement unity agreement: Politician

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian factions will take ‘immediate practical steps’ to implement an agreement to end their divisions and form an interim unity government, a Palestinian politician said on Tuesday.

Palestinian groups, including rival Hamas and Fatah movements, held three days of intensive talks in the Chinese capital of Beijing to heal their years-long rift.

The agreement aims to form a unity government to run the Gaza Strip after the end of Israel’s ongoing offensive on the enclave.

Signatories of the agreement said they would form an interim national unity government to supervise Gaza reconstruction and prepare the conditions for holding elections.

“The factions will immediately begin implementing the reconciliation agreement with practical steps,” Mustafa Barghouti, head of the Palestinian National Initiative party, told Anadolu.

He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will start consultations with all groups to form an interim national unity government.

"Time is running out. Israel is working to liquidate and destroy the Palestinian issue, and the Palestinians have no choice but to end the division,” added Barghouti, one of the signatories of the Beijing agreement.

The Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been politically divided since June 2007 due to sharp disagreements between Fatah and Hamas.

Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, one year after winning the 2006 legislative elections, while Fatah has ruled over the West Bank.

The Beijing agreement came as Israel continued its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 39,100 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023 following a Hamas attack.

Over nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar