By VOA
Chinese state media announced Tuesday that rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have signed a declaration to end years of discord and unite to form a national unity government.
Chinese television network CGTN said in a social media post the accord was signed in Beijing after a two-day forum overseen by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The talks included 12 other smaller Palestinian factions along with the two main rivals. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV did not provide further details on the agreement.
The talks in Beijing were aimed at creating a possible roadmap for a postwar Gaza once a ceasefire is reached between Israel and Hamas that would end the nine-month war in Gaza. The war was sparked by the October 7 terror attack on southern Israel by Hamas fighters who killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
Israel responded with unrelenting air and ground attacks that have killed at least 38,500 people and injured more than 88,800 more, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Fatah and Hamas have been at odds for decades over their respective stance towards 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 out Fatah forces out of Gaza in 2007 and seized control of the coastal enclave.
The accord also represents China’s growing influence in the Middle East, after having brokered a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
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