CAIRO, April 26. /TASS/. A Palestinian group called Fatah accused the leadership of Hamas of conducting a policy that brought Israel back in control of the Gaza Strip, Egypt’s al-Qahera el-Ekhbariya television reported.

"The Gaza Strip has returned to Israeli control because of Hamas' policies," Fatah said in a statement, according to the report. "This is the reason why we are forced to participate in negotiations with Israel to have its troops withdrawn from the enclave."

Fatah said Hamas is currently seeking to become part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, but is doing this "only to preserve itself and survive."

There are serious differences between Fatah, which is based in the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, which have not yet been reconciled despite numerous meetings between representatives of various Palestinian factions. The last such talks were held in Moscow on March 1. The sides then declared unity in opposing aggression in Gaza. However, on March 15, Hamas seriously criticized Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's decision to form a new government of technocrats and accused him of "detachment from reality." In response, Fatah rebuked the radicals for their actions on October 7, 2023, saying they were not coordinated with other groups and only exacerbated the plight of the Palestinian people.