An Egyptian source announced on Saturday evening the start of a meeting between the two Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas in Cairo. 

The purpose of the talks is to discuss the establishment of a committee to manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip, as well as the continuation of efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Strip.

 “The meetings of Fatah and Hamas in Cairo on the Gaza Strip have begun through the Community Support Committee to manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip,” the Egyptian news channel Al-Qahira quoted an Egyptian security source as saying.

“The meetings are a purely Palestinian affair, and the Egyptian efforts aim to unite the Palestinian ranks and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he said.

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The source also pointed out that Fatah and Hamas “showed more flexibility and positivity towards the establishment of the Community Support Committee to manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip.”

He added that the committee is affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, includes independent figures and is issued by presidential decree of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

‘Intensive Contacts’

In a related context, the source revealed that “there are intensive Egyptian contacts to urge the Palestinian and Israeli parties to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.” 

There is “international support for Egyptian efforts with the Palestinian and Israeli parties with the aim of reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and restoring calm there, despite the unwillingness of one of the parties to respond to those efforts.” The ‘unwilling’ party is presumed to be Israel.

On Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi discussed in Cairo with CIA chief William Burns the latest joint efforts to calm the Gaza Strip, considering the ongoing Israeli war, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

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The visit came days after a meeting hosted by Doha in the presence of Burns to discuss reviving ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, which have been stalled for nearly two months.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with the support of the United States, has been waging a genocidal war on Gaza, which has resulted in more than 144,000 Palestinian deaths and injuries – most of them children and women – and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Despite the ongoing mediation efforts of Qatar and Egypt for nearly a year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to set new conditions that aim at the continuation of the war even after a potential prisoners’ swamp.

 (AJA, PC)