China Will Host Senior Officials From Hamas

China will host senior officials from Hamas and Fatah for a meeting next week in an effort to bridge gaps between the rival Palestinian factions that have long competed for power in Gaza and the West Bank, according to officials in both parties.

With Israel and Hamas seemingly making progress on a cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip, discussions of plans for the enclave’s future have taken on greater urgency.

Having Hamas and Fatah open to working together is seen by many experts as crucial to rebuilding Gaza after the war.

Previous attempts to mediate between the two groups — including a meeting in Beijing in April — have failed to produce tangible results. Plans for the meeting next week, however, signaled that China was not giving up on its longstanding attempts to present itself as a peace broker.

Hamas and Fatah have a fraught history and have been at loggerheads for years, each trying to present itself as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people and wary that the other will undermine their power.

U.S. officials have suggested that the Palestinian Authority, which Fatah controls, should play a central role in governing a postwar Gaza — though that would most likely require approval from Hamas.

And a growing number of Palestinians have argued that Fatah and Hamas need to find common ground in order to advance the reconstruction of Gaza when the current war ends — even though many are pessimistic about the prospect.