Hamas says Palestinian reconciliation ‘collapsing’

A senior leader in Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas warned Thursday of the potential collapse of a reconciliation agreement made with political rivals Fatah, according to AFP. “The reconciliation is collapsing and everyone must intervene to save it,” Yahya Sinwar, the Gaza head of Hamas, said. “We took major steps to achieve reconciliation and we offered a lot of concessions, but the reconciliation is still in the same place.” Hamas was meant to hand over control of Gaza to the internationally recognized Palestinian government, which is dominated by Fatah, by December 10. The deadline for the Egyptian-brokered deal passed and the Islamists still maintain control in the Palestinian enclave.