Hamas govt. to free Fatah prisoners in sign of reconciliation

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip indicated they would free prisoners affiliated to their West Bank rivals Fatah, giving further momentum to reconciliation efforts since the Israeli war on the coastal enclave, Ma’an news agency reported.

Government spokesman Taher al-Nunu said the government would grant an amnesty to all suspects and prisoners related to its conflict with Fatah in 2006.

The government will set up a committee to implement this measure, he said.

Al-Nunu said the government decided “to leave the period of the division behind them out of respect for national unity.”

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights welcomed the amnesty announcement, saying it "hopes that this decision will push forward the process of the Palestinian reconciliation talks, and that it will mark the end of the division."