The Wall Street Journal reported that Hamas is engaged in secret talks with Fatah, revealing that Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, ordered their termination. The American newspaper stated that the head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and the head of Hamas abroad, Khalid Mishal, are in contact with the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, regarding an alliance under the umbrella of the PLO.
It disclosed that participating in the secret talks, seen as a sign of pressure on the besieged Hamas, is the leader of the Democratic Reform Movement, former Fatah member Muhammad Dahlan, who maintains strong relations in the Gulf and Egypt, along with former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and Hamas political bureau member, based in Doha, Husam Badran.
The report noted that Sinwar ordered an end to the talks as soon as he became aware of them. Dahlan confirmed his participation in the discussions, stating, "I am not a friend of Hamas. But do you think anyone could run for peace without Hamas?" Meanwhile, Badran stated, "We are not fighting just because we want to fight. We are not proponents of a zero-sum game. We want the war to end."
