Hamas, Fatah agree on return of unity government in Gaza

CAIRO: Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah said they reached an agreement for the return of their unity government in Gaza ahead of crucial negotiations with Israel next month. The Palestinian rivals had set up a unity government of independents in June but it never took hold, with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas accusing Hamas of running a "parallel" administration as de facto ruler in the Gaza Strip. Hamas in turn accused Abbas's Palestinian Authority, headquartered in Ramallah, of not paying its 45,000 employees in Gaza. "Fatah and Hamas have reached a comprehensive agreement for the unity government to return to the Gaza Strip," Jibril Rajoub of Fatah said. Senior Hamas official Mussa Abu Marzuk and Fatah's head of delegation, Azzam Al-Ahmad, confirmed that an agreement had been reached after two days of talks in Cairo. AFP