Hamas Agrees to Elections in Effort to End Fatah Dispute

Hamas dissolves its Gaza administration and accepts Fatah general elections proposal in bid to end Palestinian divide. (AFP)
Hamas dissolves its Gaza administration and accepts Fatah general elections proposal in bid to end Palestinian divide. (AFP)
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Hamas Agrees to Elections in Effort to End Fatah Dispute

Hamas dissolves its Gaza administration and accepts Fatah general elections proposal in bid to end Palestinian divide. (AFP)
Hamas dissolves its Gaza administration and accepts Fatah general elections proposal in bid to end Palestinian divide. (AFP)

The Palestinian movement Hamas announced on Sunday that it was ready to hold general elections after it dissolved its administration in the Gaza Strip.

This is seen as a bid to end the long dispute with Fatah movement chief President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that it has dissolved its shadow government, that it will allow the reconciliation government to operate in Gaza and that it agrees to hold elections and enter talks with Fatah.

"The administrative committee is now dissolved and the government can come to Gaza today to assume its responsibilities and duties," Hamas official Hussam Badran told The Associated Press.

"We accepted that as a sign of our good will toward reconciliation.”

Fatah welcomed the Hamas’ announcement, but said it wants to see vows implemented before making the next move.

Mahmoud Aloul, a senior Fatah official welcomed cautiously Hamas’s position. “If this is Hamas statement, then this is a positive sign,” he told Reuters.

“We in Fatah movement are ready to implement reconciliation.”

The last Palestinian legislative election was held in 2006 when Hamas scored a surprise victory, which laid the ground for a political rupture.

Armed clashes erupted between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza in 2007 and since then Hamas has governed the small coastal enclave.

Numerous attempts since 2011 to reconcile the two movements and form a power-sharing unity government in Gaza and the West Bank have so far failed.

Hamas and Fatah agreed in 2014 to form a national reconciliation government, but despite that agreement, Hamas’s shadow government has continued to rule the Gaza Strip.

Hoping to pressure Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza, Abbas has cut payments to Israel for the electricity it supplies to Gaza. This means that electricity has often been provided for less than four hours a day, and never more than six.

Representatives for Abbas, who is in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly this week, could not be reached for comment, nor could Fatah representatives presently in Egypt, which has been hosting talks with Hamas.

Azzam al-Ahmed, a Fatah participant in the talks, said Hamas and Fatah agreed to meet in Cairo within 10 days, during which time the national unity government should assume its responsibility in Gaza.



Hamas Sources: Trump’s Displacement Remarks Inconsistent with US Messages

US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington on Monday. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington on Monday. (Reuters)
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Hamas Sources: Trump’s Displacement Remarks Inconsistent with US Messages

US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington on Monday. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington on Monday. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump’s recent comments about the war in Gaza have sparked cautious optimism for a potential ceasefire, while also raising serious concerns. During his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, Trump said he expects the conflict to end “soon,” adding: “I want the war in Gaza to stop.”

However, Trump reignited controversy by referencing a proposal he once floated early in his presidency: relocating the Palestinians from Gaza and placing the enclave under US control.

While Hamas has not issued an official response, sources within the Palestinian group told Asharq Al-Awsat that Trump’s statements are inconsistent with what is being conveyed behind the scenes.

“These remarks don’t align with what’s being shared with Hamas leadership or mediators,” they said.

They pointed to a shift in US policy and noted that recent American positions conveyed through intermediaries show a more measured approach. They also highlighted strong Arab opposition to any forced displacement from Gaza, which they say has contributed to Washington distancing itself from such ideas - regardless of Trump’s public rhetoric.

The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu also touched on the issue of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Netanyahu said efforts to reach a new agreement were underway, while Trump confirmed that discussions about a new ceasefire are in progress, though he cautioned that securing the hostages’ release could be “a long process.”

Hamas sources confirmed the movement has received a new Egyptian proposal, which has also been shared with Israel, the United States, and other mediators. They linked Trump’s remarks to recent intensified mediation efforts involving Washington.

Trump’s revival of the Gaza relocation idea was interpreted by some observers as a response to questions from Israeli journalists, rather than a serious policy stance. Hamas sources downplayed the significance of the statement, suggesting it did not reflect current US efforts on the ground.

Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers recently presented a unified plan in Doha to US envoy Steve Witkoff, centered on Gaza’s reconstruction and governance - without displacing its residents. The plan was reportedly well-received and seen as a foundation for future efforts to resolve the conflict.