Hamas reaches agreement with rival Fatah in China for unity

Mussa Abu Marzuk, a senior member of Hamas, right, signs a document as China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second left, and Mahmoud al-Aloul, vice chairman of Fatah, look on at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, July 23, 2024. [AP photo]

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have signed a declaration in Beijing to end years of discord and unite to form a national unity government, China announced on Tuesday.

“Senior representatives of 14 Palestinian factions held reconciliation talks in Beijing from July 21 to 23,” said Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson. “The Palestinian factions signed the Beijing declaration on ending division and strengthening Palestinian national unity.”

In Washington, U.S. officials say they have yet to review the agreement.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reiterated on Tuesday that the United States has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization and that Washington sees no role for Hamas in the post-war governance of Gaza.

“We’ve made clear, we want to see the Palestinian Authority governing a unified Gaza in the West Bank. But no, we do not support a role for Hamas,” Miller said during a briefing.

“We don't think that anything related to this declaration should in any way have an impact on the ongoing discussions to reach a cease-fire,” Miller added.

The talks in Beijing aimed to create a potential roadmap for a post-war Gaza once a cease-fire is reached between Israel and Hamas, ending the more than nine-month conflict in Gaza.

The October 7 Hamas terror attack resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Hamas militants took about 250 hostages.

Israel's military response has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its figures.

Fatah and Hamas have been at odds for decades over their respective stance toward Israel. Fatah dominates the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank and has signed interim peace accords with Israel, while Hamas refuses to officially recognize the Jewish state.

Over the past 17 years, there have been efforts by Egypt and other Arab countries to reconcile Hamas and Fatah. It remains to be seen whether the deal reached in Beijing will survive the realities on the ground.

The two sides violently split when Hamas fighters drove Fatah forces out of Gaza in 2007 and seized control of the coastal enclave.