CAIRO: Delegations from Hamas and its longtime rival Fatah met in Cairo on Thursday to discuss the second phase of a US-backed Gaza ceasefire plan, an informed source told AFP.
"The meeting discussed the current situation and issues related to the second phase of the proposed ceasefire in Gaza," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He added that both sides agreed to "continue meetings in the coming period and to work on organizing the Palestinian internal front in the face of the challenges posed by the Israeli government."
Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News reported that the talks covered "the national scene in general and arrangements after ending the war in the Gaza Strip."
Hamas and Fatah have a history of deep political rivalry, which flared into fighting for a time after a 2006 election, and which has hindered efforts at Palestinian national unity.
Egypt, a long-time mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, hosted the meetings as part of a wider push to build consensus around the long-term ceasefire plan put forward by US President Donald Trump.
Alongside the Hamas-Fatah talks, Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad met with senior officials from key Palestinian factions.
They included Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, as well as the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — both factions within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Al-Qahera News said the talks were part of Egyptian efforts to "achieve national Palestinian consensus on the implementation of the US president's ceasefire plan in Gaza."
The meetings come as top US diplomat Marco Rubio visited Israel on Thursday, the latest in a series of Washington officials aiming to solidify the fragile truce.
Under Trump's 20-point peace plan, an international security force drawn from Arab and Muslim allies would stabilize Gaza as Israeli troops withdraw, while a transitional authority would take over the territory's administration from Hamas.
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