GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian factions in Gaza, including Fatah, began preparations to participate in university student elections as part of national reconciliation initiatives proposed by Hamas. The elections were said to be held in the first semester of the next academic year, but no exact date has been set. Fatah may not be able to compete in the elections with a single list in light of its internal disputes, while Hamas may also face difficulties in the elections, considering its political and financial crisis.

Hamas, Fatah and other factions agreed on creating a supreme national commission to monitor student elections as well as union elections in Gaza. However, union elections faced more obstacles that go beyond those that were resolved by mutual agreement.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a representative of Hamas in the commission, said that as a first step, the factions agreed during their meetings to hold student elections imminently and task student committees with drafting an electoral law according to proportional representation.

“Holding union elections will need more time. A committee comprising different union blocs was formed to hold discussions about the mechanisms before heading to elections. So far, one meeting was held, but it was not attended by Fatah’s representative,” Abu Zuhri added.