Khaled Meshaal and Ismail Haniyeh Gaza – Mohammed Habib Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Meshaal and Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh denied reports claiming that they have diverging opinions over the reconciliation with Fatah. Hamas posted a statement on its website saying that "there is no dispute within the movement over the reconciliation. The 'Doha Declaration' is to be carried out."
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed branch of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, announced its support to the Doha agreement as well.
Meanwhile, the Freedom committee’s coordinator and Islamic Jihad leader Khalid Al-Batsh said that the Freedom committee will resume its meeting after the Palestinian factions’ meeting in Cairo, which is scheduled to be on February 24, to discuss the Palestinian reconciliation and the PLO.
The committee had suspended its work previously as Hamas and Fatah did not consider its recommendations.
The public freedom committee, which was formed in December, months after Egypt brokered a reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas, is one of the several committees appointed to secure a smooth implementation of the agreement.
The committee demands Fatah and Hamas allow the circulation of newspapers in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-ruled West Bank. It also calls for granting some Hamas-affiliated people passports issued by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the West Bank.