DHAKA: Gaza’s Hamas government freed seven imprisoned Fatah members Wednesday, as part of efforts to mend relations between the Islamist movement and its West Bank-based Palestinian rival, officials said.

‘The release of these condemned men comes as part of the prime minister`s decisions to strengthen national reconciliation,’ Hamas interior ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan told reporters, according to TDS.

‘More positive steps will follow,’ he added, without elaborating.

The releases came two days after Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya reached out to Fatah, saying that those of its members who had fled Gaza when the Islamists seized the territory in 2007 would be allowed to return, except for those accused of killing Hamas members.

‘The (Hamas) government will allow all Fatah members who are from Gaza and who left the Strip to return, without any preconditions,’ Haniya said.

It was the latest in a series of overtures by Hamas to Fatah, which dominates the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, as Israel and Egypt have tightened a blockade on Gaza.

BDST: 2031 HRS, JAN 08, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor