Hamas's exiled political leader said Monday that the militant group has agreed in principle to a proposal for reconciling with its rivals in the Fatah movement in a deal that would clear the way for new presidential and parliamentary elections.
A final deal being brokered by Egyptian mediators will be drawn up and signed in October, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal told reporters in Cairo after talks with Egypt's intelligence chief.
The Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers and Fatah, which leads a separate, Western-backed government in the West Bank, have been bitterly divided since a civil war more than two years ago.
Bringing the sides together and restoring some Fatah control in the Gaza Strip could open up the blockaded and impoverished seaside territory to more aid from international donors that had shunned dealings with the militants of Hamas.
