Politics of the Gaza Strip

Israel said its armed forces were increasingly focused on Hamas targets in south Gaza Sunday, as the United States again pressed its ally to do more to protect Palestinian civilians.

Signalling a pivot after weeks of intensive fighting around Gaza City, the Israeli army said troops were now looking to the Hamas stronghold of Khan Yunis and elsewhere in the south.

Turkey's Consul General in Jerusalem welcomed a decision late on Jan. 15 to hold national elections in Palestine. 

"Turkey had long been waiting for a reconciliation between Palestinian parties through elections," Ahmet Rıza Demirer told Anadolu Agency.

Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement on Thursday (12 October) on ending a decade-long split following talks mediated by Egypt in Cairo, with president Mahmud Abbas calling it a “final” accord.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the deal, saying it would make peace with his country “much harder to achieve”.

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.