Key leaders of the deadly Hamas terror group

Beijing: Palestinian rivals groups Hamas and Fatah, which have long competed for power in Gaza and the West Bank, met in China recently for talks on potential reconciliation, Al Jazeera reported.

Israel's bombardment of Gaza has deepened support for Hamas in the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority-controlled by Fatah has administered cities and towns for decades.

According to Al Jazeera, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said on Monday that the groups' representatives had met recently.

The longstanding rivalry between the groups has persisted over the years, but the recent Israeli military war in the Gaza Strip has reignited discussions surrounding Palestinian reconciliation.

Further, Lin Jian added the two groups visited China to partake in an in-depth and candid dialogue on the prospect, however, he did not specify when the meeting took place.

During the meeting, the two sides expressed their will for reconciliation through dialogue and consultation.

"The two sides fully expressed their political will to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, discussed many specific issues, and made positive progress," the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year, representatives from the two groups, as well as other political factions, met in Moscow and discussed the potential formation of a unified Palestinian government.

Fatah and Hamas have a fraught history. When Israel withdrew all its troops and citizens from Gaza in 2005, it handed power there to the Palestinian Authority. But Fatah lost a legislative election the next year to Hamas. In 2007, Hamas seized power in Gaza in a short and brutal civil war, dividing the Palestinians not only territorially, but politically.

Meanwhile, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority has limited autonomy in the areas it administers across the West Bank.

Hamas and other armed groups also took about 250 captives during the October 7 offensive, with dozens of people still being held in Gaza, as per Al Jazeera.

In response, Israeli forces have reportedly killed at least 34,535 people in the Gaza Strip, with the majority being women and children, as stated by the Ministry of Health in the coastal enclave.

(With Agency Inputs)