PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Hamas leader Ismail HaniyehReuters

Hamas and Fatah will hold new reconciliation talks in the Qatari capital of Doha next week, the Ma’an news agency reported Friday, citing a statement by Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad.

Al-Ahmad said that the focus of the talks would be to continue discussions on ways to implement the reconciliation agreement between the two major Palestinian parties, adding that the implementation would require honest political intentions to end the division between the political factions.

Hamas and Fatah have been at odds since 2007 when Hamas took over Gaza from Fatah in a bloody coup.

The sides have continued their never-ending war of words despite a unity agreement signed in April 2014 which sought to end seven years of bad blood.

A unity government between Hamas and Fatah collapsed last June when Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas decided to dissolve it amid a deepening rift between the sides.

In his statement, al-Ahmad expressed concern over statements made by Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk saying the upcoming discussions would focus on the political agenda of the government, which al-Ahmad said had already been decided on.

Al-Ahmad added that statements by the Hamas leader were not encouraging and highlighted his fears that the comments could hinder the reconciliation talks.

The sides held a previous round of talks in Doha this past March, with Fatah and Hamas delegations discussing implementations of a viable reconciliation agreement.

The Palestinian leadership has repeatedly failed to follow through on promises of reconciliation and holding of long-overdue elections, as both movements have frequently blamed each other for numerous political failures.

PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has criticized Hamas for creating a shadow government in Gaza and blocking efforts to reach political unity.

Hamas has in turn accused the PA of executing a plan to "eradicate" the movement from Judea and Samaria, saying that an arrest campaign of over 200 members was carried out by the PA to target reconciliation efforts between the two factions.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)