Palestinians are seen on a street between buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes in the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabalia, on October 6, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Leaders from Fatah and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to form a Palestinian unity government for Gaza and the occupied West Bank, for the first time since the two Palestinian factions met in Beijing in July for a historic reconciliation dialogue. The consensus comes at a crucial juncture as the conflict spillover becomes increasingly intense, experts said, hailing it as a significant step toward enhancing Palestine's international status and fostering internal unity. 

Representatives from the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) agreed in a new round of talks in Cairo on Wednesday to form a "temporary, non-political committee" to manage services concerning the Gaza Strip, a source said on condition of anonymity, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

The two groups agreed that the committee's role "will be limited to managing the Rafah border crossing and providing vital necessities for the people of Gaza, including medicines, education, healthcare, and food," according to the Xinhua report.

The committee is the "best and most suitable" solution to the issue of governing Gaza after the war, the source said, amid Israeli and US insistence on ending Hamas' control of the enclave.

With key support from China, representatives of 14 factions from Palestine reached a historic declaration on ending division and strengthening unity in Beijing in July. Before the epic ice-breaking event, Fatah and Hamas had been locked in bitter rivalry since the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006.

"Internal divisions have long been a major constraint on the Palestinian issue. The agreement reached between Fatah and Hamas is significant not only for enhancing Palestine's legitimate international status but also for strengthening internal unity and reducing discord," Zhu Yongbiao, executive director of the Research Center for the Belt and Road at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

It also plays a positive role in managing conflicts and preventing escalations so as to prevent further risks from spilling over, Zhu said. 

The talks came amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as well as Hezbollah, after Iran launched a missile strike last week following an escalation of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, with no sign of an imminent cease-fire to end the Israeli conflict with Hamas in Gaza. 

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone conversation on Wednesday, while Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed that an Israeli strike against Iran will be "lethal, precise and surprising," Reuters reported. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged that the two leaders have disagreements, it said. 

The differences between the US and Israel lie in their short-term and long-term goals, while their ultimate objective is highly aligned, Zhu said. "Both the US and Israel view Iran as a significant threat and the primary danger in the Middle East. However, Israel wishes to resolve the Iran issue as soon as possible, while the US prefers to address it selectively and opportunistically," Zhu noted.

Observers said the Middle East predicament cannot be resolved until the cruxes of the problem are addressed - internal rifts within the Middle East itself, the US' Middle East policy, and historical legacy issues. 

They urged the US to acknowledge its responsibilities and to act, as there are various ways that it can restrain Israel's reckless moves, such as imposing sanctions, reducing aid, and applying international pressure. However, so far the US has been unwilling to employ these measures, while instead continuing to indulge Israel.

The superficial criticisms and the so-called sanctions from the US against certain individuals are merely a form of a display of duplicity, Zhu remarked.