Hamas and Fatah meet in Egypt for unity talks on Gaza

A delegation from Hamas's leadership will meet with their counterparts from Fatah in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss a unified vision for the administration of Gaza.

The delegation, which arrived in the Egyptian capital late on Monday, is headed by Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas's political bureau in the Gaza Strip, and includes Husam Badran, head of its Arab Relations Department.

The Egyptian-sponsored talks between Hamas and Fatah, which runs the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, are primarily concerned with ending disputes between the two sides and countering Israeli attempts to occupy Gaza.

There have been multiple failed attempts to forge unity between Hamas and Fatah, but this is now deemed critical amid Israel’s plans for Gaza. In July, Hamas and Fatah agreed in Beijing to work together for "national unity", with China describing it as a deal for the two rival factions to work together to govern post-war Gaza.

On Monday, Israel’s ambassador to the European Union, Haim Regev, said that Tel Aviv expects the have the war on Gaza wrapped up in the coming year with a new governing structure ruling the enclave.

Regev told Politico that Israeli forces have accomplished most of their war goals in Gaza, including "degrading" Hamas to the extent where the Palestinian group can allegedly no longer fight as an “organised structure”.’

"Before the war, Hamas was an army with a chain of command, with battalions … Today this military threat does not exist anymore," Regev said, as quoted by Politico.

"We have dismantled most of the battalions … I think this will be the year when we see a new governing structure in Gaza," he added.

Regev added that this could only occur once the hostages have been released.

Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza have said they are still able to fight Israel, in a statement released shortly before the first anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel.

Doubt has also been cast on Israel’s claims to have completed its war aims, with around 101 hostages still remaining and Hamas able to reconstitute itself as a fighting force in areas of the Strip.

Israeli authorities have previously said that they don’t want to rule the Gaza Strip, but they have also ruled out letting the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority govern the territory.

This has led to speculation that a third force, one made up of Arab peacekeepers from surrounding countries, could take power. However, Arab states seem unwilling to openly collaborate with Israel, while the civilian population seem unlikely to support such a force.

On Tuesday, Israel invaded Jabalia in northern Gaza and issued evacuation orders as it pounded the Palestinian refugee camp from the air.

Palestinian medics said casualties had been reported, with at least 17 killed so far, but that they were unable to reach areas under fire.

The Israeli army claims tht its forces are trying to stop fighters from Hamas regrouping in Jabalia.