Supporters celebrate Fatah’s 55th anniversary in Gaza City on January 1, 2020. Photo: Fatah. http://fatehorg.ps/?p=16727

i24 News – Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have signed a reconciliation deal, hoping to end their 15-year-long rift.

The deal was signed in Algeria by senior Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad and by Ismail Haniyah, chief of the Hamas political bureau.

“This is a historical moment, through which we see Jerusalem,” Haniyah said, thanking Algerian President Abdulmajeed Tabboune for sponsoring the talks.

Al-Ahmad called the signing a “proud moment” and pledged that Fatah would be “the first to execute this agreement.”

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority since 2005, was not present at the meeting.

The Palestinian factions have been at odds since Hamas won the 2006 elections, which were never recognized by the international community, and later ousted Fatah from the Gaza Strip.

In another attempt to bridge the divide, the factions also vowed to hold elections by next October.

Both Hamas and Fatah have been accused by critics of enjoying political power and thus continuing to evade elections.