China will chair negotiations between the Hamas and Fatah movements to strengthen unity among Palestinian factions.
Members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade, a branch of the Palestinian Islamic Movement of Hamas, in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip. File photo: Anadolu Agency/TTXVN
VNA correspondent in the Middle East quoted information from a Fatah official saying that the delegation led by Mr. Azzam al-Ahmed, the group’s senior commander, had arrived in China. Meanwhile, a Hamas official said the movement’s negotiating team, led by senior commander Moussa Abu Marzouk, will also go to China.
Previously, at a press conference on April 26, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed support for strengthening the power of the Palestinian national government and supporting reconciliation as well as strengthening solidarity. between all Palestinian factions through dialogue and consultation.
This visit marks the first time a Hamas delegation has visited China since the start of the war in Gaza. China’s Foreign Ministry said the country’s diplomat, Wang Kejian, met with Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar last month.
The Hamas movement controls the Gaza Strip while Fatah is a movement headed by Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA exercises limited autonomy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. These two Palestinian factions have been at political odds since Hamas expelled Fatah from Gaza in a brief clash in 2007.