Hamas supports new Egyptian bid for Palestinian reconciliation deal

The head of Hamas announced his backing on Thursday for a new Egyptian-led push for reconciliation with rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

The office of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he had spoken with Egypt's intelligence head Abbas Kamel to inform him of his movement's backing for a fresh Egyptian-brokered push.

A statement from the movement said the two men discussed the "latest developments in the Palestinian issue and especially the reconciliation file and humanitarian projects for the people of the Gaza Strip."

Haniyeh's deputy Saleh al-Arouri led a delegation to Cairo last week. So far Fatah have not officially responded to this fresh push for reconciliation.

A previous Egyptian-brokered deal, signed by Hamas and Fatah in October 2017, collapsed on implementation.

In March, the head of the Fatah-dominated West Bank government Rami Hamdallah survived a roadside bomb hitting his convoy in a rare visit to Gaza, with his allies later accusing Hamas of planning the attack.

It was hoped that reconciliation could alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza, home to some two million people.

The United Nations has signalled its support for a fresh reconciliation push, but diplomats have little optimism.

Hamas won 2006 parliamentary elections but Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah and much of the international community refused to accept the result, leading to increased strife.

A year later, Hamas seized control of Gaza during bitter fighting. Since then two separate Palestinian civil administrations emerged.