Fatah prepares for Gaza rally

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GAZA, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Preparations are under way for a Fatah rally in Gaza, marking the group's 48th anniversary, Palestinian officials said.

It is the first Fatah rally in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas takeover in 2007. Senior Fatah official Nabil Sha'ath said the celebrations will have a positive effect on national unity, Ma'an News Agency quoted him as saying Thursday.

The rally dubbed "The modern Palestinian revolution," will aid in uniting Hamas and Fatah, he said, adding "we don't want to negotiate again; there is an agreement that should be implemented," he said, referring to unity meetings in Cairo in the past year that were meant to reconcile the two factions.

Sha'ath said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has recorded a message to be played at the rally Friday and said representatives from the different factions, including delegations from Egypt and Algeria, will address the rally.

On Wednesday, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said the "festival and the general environment will prepare for reconciliation and end the split. We gave directions to security services to make the festival successful."