In Moscow talks, Hamas and Fatah vow to seek ‘unity of action’ on post-war Gaza
Representatives agree on future dialogue to bring terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad under the PLO umbrella
Palestinian factions including rivals Fatah and the Hamas terror group said on Friday they would pursue “unity of action” in confronting Israel after representatives met at Russia-hosted talks.
The meeting in Moscow on Thursday brought together Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and other Palestinian groups for talks on the war in Gaza and an eventual post-war period.
It came on the heels of the resignation of the Palestinian Authority government, which is led by Fatah and based in the West Bank.
Outgoing prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called for intra-Palestinian consensus as he announced his resignation, and some analysts said the development could pave the way for a government of technocrats that could operate in the West Bank and Hamas-run Gaza after the war.
Arab and Western leaders have been pushing for reforms to the Palestinian Authority as they discuss possible reconstruction efforts.
A statement on Friday by the Palestinian factions represented in Moscow said there would be an “upcoming dialogue” to bring them under the banner of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Thursday’s “constructive” talks saw agreement on points including the need for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state, the statement said.
While Hamas and Islamic Jihad are designated terror groups, the PLO is internationally recognized as representing Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and the diaspora.
Discussions in recent years about integrating Hamas into the PLO have ended in failure. Hamas kicked the PA out of Gaza in 2007 in a violent takeover of the Strip.
In recent years, Moscow has strived to maintain good relations with all actors in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including Fatah and Hamas.
Russia’s relations with Israel have become strained amid Moscow’s criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza, its invasion of Ukraine and increasingly close ties with Iran.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took another 253 hostages.
Israel launched an offensive in Gaza aimed at returning the hostages and destroying Hamas.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed so far. The figures cannot be independently verified, and are believed to include both civilians and Hamas members killed in Gaza, including as a consequence of terror groups’ own rocket misfires.
The IDF says it has killed more than 13,000 Hamas operatives in addition to another 1,000 killed inside Israel on October 7.
