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Hamas reconciles with Gaza Salafists

After years of tension, Hamas has reached an understanding with local Salafists that will allow them limited activity if they cease conducting operations independent of Gaza's armed factions.
A Palestinian Salafist takes part in a protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip February 24, 2012. REUTERS/ Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2YDFU
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The relationship between Hamas and the various Salafist jihadist groups in Gaza is in a state of flux these days. As previously reported by Al-Monitor, relations between the two parties were once highly confrontational, but they have since improved.

Early October witnessed the first tepid movement toward a reconciliation between Hamas and the Salafists. This process has been conducted through intermediaries, particularly Muslim clerics from Kuwait and Qatar, accompanied by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who visited Gaza in May to help resolve the outstanding conflicts between the two sides.

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