Hamas and the mainstream Palestinian Authority took a further step towards reconciliation on Monday as the West Bank-based Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah crossed into the Gaza Strip, more than a decade after the Islamist group seized control of the territory in a bitter civil war.
Last month, the group, which is still classed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU, disbanded its Gaza shadow government before announcing last week that it was handing over administrative control of Gaza to a unity government headed by Hamdallah.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
While the movement’s armed wing “remains the dominant power in the Palestinian enclave of two million people”, Reuters says, the “narrowing internal divisions could help western-backed [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas counter Israel’s argument that it has no negotiating partner for peace with the Palestinians”.
Michael Oren, Israel’s deputy minister for diplomacy, played down the unity drive, saying “it happens every two or three years”. Hamas remains dedicated to Israel’s destruction, he said, and if the group was able to retain its arms, peace negotiations would be a “a non-starter for Israel”.
The new Palestinian unity cabinet is expected to meet in Gaza on Tuesday to set a date for presidential and parliamentary elections.
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purgeCartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Codeword: August 23, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
The IDF's manpower problemThe Explainer Israeli military's shortage of up to 12,000 troops results in call-up for tens of thousands of reservists
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest warSpeed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Israeli security cabinet OKs Gaza City takeoverSpeed Read Netanyahu approved a proposal for Israeli Defense Forces to take over the largest population center in the Gaza Strip
-
An ancient Israeli cave teaches new archaeological lessonsThe Explainer The cave is believed to be one of the world's oldest burial sites
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
The countries that have recognized Palestinian statehoodThe Explainer The United Kingdom has become the latest country to weigh in on the issue
-
Israeli NGOs have started referring to Gaza as a 'genocide' — will it matter?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION For the first time since fighting began in 2023, two Israeli rights groups have described their country's actions in the Gaza Strip as 'genocide' while famine threatens the blockaded Palestinian territory
