- Title: One eve of Gaza reconciliation, Hamas frees Fatah men
- Date: 1st October 2017
- Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (OCTOBER 1, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF JAIL CONTROLLED BY HAMAS SECURITY VARIOUS OF SECURITY OFFICERS AT SCENE PEOPLE AND SECURITY OFFICERS SURROUNDING FREED FATAH MEN FREED FATAH MAN HUGGING AND KISSING PEOPLE FREED FATAH MAN KISSING SECURITY OFFICERS FREED FATAH MAN WALKING AWAY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FREED FATAH MAN RELEASED FROM HAMAS JAIL, TAHER ABU ARMANA, SAYING: "I hope that Mr. Mahmoud Abbas will shake hands with all who helped in finishing this case and I urge him to order the release of all political prisoners in the West Bank because they are our brothers. No difference between them and Fatah members." EXTERIORS OF PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS' HOME IN GAZA WHICH HE TURNED INTO PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE SIGN READING (Arabic): "PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE" VARIOUS OF SECURITY OUTSIDE PRIME MINISTERS OFFICE TRAFFIC ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT, BASAM MIKDAD, SAYING: "Of course the situation will become better and the (government) employees should be patient. All their problems will be solved and the situation in Gaza will be booming under the control of the Palestinian Authority." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT MARKET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA RESIDENT, KHALIL AL-RA'E, SAYING: "We hope that God will help everyone and we hope that this deal will not be similar to any previous deal, because Gazans are disappointed from all the losing previous deals." VARIOUS OF BUSY ROAD WITH CARS MONITORED BY PALESTINIAN SECURITY AND POLICE
- Embargoed: 15th October 2017 15:55
- Keywords: Hamas and Fatah reconciliation Gaza Strip West Bank Palestinian reconciliation
- Location: GAZA CITY, GAZA
- City: GAZA CITY, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001717D9HJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hamas freed five prisoners belonging to the rival Fatah party on Sunday (October 1) and Egypt sent a delegation to the Gaza Strip to oversee the Islamist group's planned handover of administrative control of the Palestinian enclave to a unity government.
The West Bank-based Palestinian prime minister, Rami al-Hamdallah, and other officials of the government formed in 2014 are due in Gaza on Monday (October 2) to run ministries and hold a cabinet meeting the next day.
Hamas, short of funds and friends, opted for reconciliation with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah a decade after seizing the enclave in a brief civil war.
Hamas made its dramatic turn towards reconciliation after Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates imposed an economic boycott on the movement's main donor, Qatar, over alleged support of terrorists.
Gaza residents on Sunday (October 1) voiced hope that a reconciliation between rival Fatah and Hamas will improve their state in the coastal territory that has been under the rule of Hamas since 2007. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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