Palestinian factions from the Gaza Strip, and Mohammed Dahlan’s Democratic Reform Bloc within Fatah will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss forming a unified list for legislative elections, a factional source told Al Manassa.
The meeting, the second among factional leaders in the Egyptian capital in two days, aims to explore a single electoral ticket and draft a joint response to a recent “Board of Peace” statement issued following talks between board representatives, US presidential envoy Jared Kushner, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Husam Badran, a Hamas politburo member and head of its national relations office, will lead the Hamas delegation during the meeting after a senior leadership delegation headed by Khalil Al-Hayya departed Cairo.
Badran told Al Manassa that Hamas intends to participate in the legislative elections within a broad national coalition representing a wide spectrum of Palestinian political forces.
Hamas recently held discussions and made contacts with Palestinian factions, forces, and figures to build the largest possible national electoral bloc based on a mutually agreed political program, Badran explained.
The upcoming session follows a meeting held Monday evening in Cairo between a Hamas delegation led by Al-Hayya and Gaza-based factional leaders, attended by a delegation from Dahlan’s Democratic Reform Bloc. The leaders discussed political and field developments in the Palestinian territories alongside mechanisms to strengthen national partnership.
Hamas stated that Monday’s gathering covered negotiations that led to approving a roadmap for implementing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, as well as the outcomes of two days of meetings with mediators and guarantors in Egypt.
Both sides stressed the importance of stepping up political and diplomatic efforts to ensure Israeli compliance with all signed agreements and understandings, aiming to consolidate the ceasefire and maintain stability.
Regarding Monday’s meeting, a senior Hamas leader had told Al Manassa that the talks were “very positive and good,” affirming that the movement remains committed to US President Donald Trump’s plan as long as Israel complies.
Kushner had also pledged to work toward obligating Israel to halt daily targeting and assassinations across the strip, while securing the entry of essential food and medical supplies over the coming days.
Meanwhile, the “Board of Peace” released a statement on Monday confirming an agreement with Netanyahu that Israeli military forces will not retreat outside the Gaza Strip until Hamas is fully disarmed, including light and heavy weaponry and all tunnels.
This comes as Netanyahu publicly rejected redeployment until full disarmament across the Gaza Strip, along with a summary veto against the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed his disagreement with the possibility of conditioned withdrawal from Gaza, Netanyahu’s public position, saying “I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night,” he explained “there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.”
The council statement further emphasized Israel’s full right to self-defense, noting that if Hamas resorts to terrorism or violence, or attempts to rearm, Israel retains the right to act accordingly.
