Hamas receives invite to Cairo talks: Group spokesman

By Mustafa Haboush

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Egypt has invited Hamas to attend a meeting of Palestinian political factions in Cairo, a group spokesman said Wednesday.

In a statement, Hossam Badran said the meeting would focus on “means of restoring Palestinian national unity” -- a reference to the ongoing dispute between Hamas and rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

The meeting, he added, would also tackle “the many challenges now facing the Palestinian national cause”.

Hamas, Badran said, welcomed the Egyptian invitation, and was currently in the process of making arrangements for the upcoming visit.

Neither Egypt nor other Palestinian factions, however, have yet confirmed the invitation or the planned meeting in Cairo.

Hamas and Fatah have remained bitter rivals since 2007, when the former wrested the Gaza Strip from the latter after several days of street fighting.

In 2017, Hamas and Fatah signed a landmark reconciliation agreement in Cairo, but the terms of the deal have yet to be implemented amid ongoing differences between the two groups.