Palestinian nationalists

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has conferred upon the president of Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), Taha Ayhan, a medal of merit at the Palestinian seat of government in Ramallah.

Ayhan was awarded the medal in recognition of his role in supporting the Palestinian youth and defending Palestine's cause.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on May 24 said that the Palestinian group supported Turkey's rapprochement with Egypt.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on May 19 that the country is terminating all agreements and understandings signed with Israel and the U.S., including on security.

Abbas made the announcement at a Palestinian leadership meeting in Ramallah. The decision came in response to the proposed Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has rejected an invitation by the U.S. for a secret meeting between the two parties, its political chief said on March 3.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh denounced the U.S.' so-called Middle East peace plan in a phone call on Feb. 6.

Zarif expressed support for the stances of the Palestinian people and leaders against the "unilateral" plan of the U.S., Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.

The main suspect in a recent bomb attack against the Palestinian prime minister in the Gaza Strip was killed in an arrest raid on March 22 that also left two members of the Hamas security forces dead.

The US has reduced funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East by almost 33 percent, according to multiple published reports.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniya spoke on Sept. 18 for the first time in nearly a year, adding impetus to a surprise reconciliation between their factions locked in bitter dispute for 10 years.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is poised to visit Gaza for talks, a senior official said yesterday,
after Hamas agreed steps towards resolving a decade-long split with its West Bank-based rival Fatah.

Hamas said on Sept. 17 it had agreed to steps toward resolving a decade-long split with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah, announcing it would dissolve a body seen as a rival government and was ready to hold elections.