GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Given the repeated failures over the past nine years of negotiations, Palestinians are eager but not hopeful to see whether Fatah and Hamas will actually follow through on their latest reconciliation efforts in the face of numerous obstacles, including foreign pressure.

The groups held talks Feb. 7-8 in Doha, Qatar, to implement a nearly 2-year-old Palestinian pact known as the Beach Refugee Camp Agreement. Palestinians have voiced serious concerns about Qatar’s ability to successfully mediate the division that has persisted since 2007. They are asking: Why does reconciliation fail every time?

Since the signing of the Beach Refugee Camp Agreement in April 2014, major differences have arisen between the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization's political faction Fatah. These issues involve managing crossings with the Gaza Strip, holding presidential and legislative elections, and setting a date to convene the Provisional Leadership Framework of the PLO.

But a source in the Hamas leadership who was briefed on the Doha talks told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that two issues stand out: "the government of national consensus assuming full responsibility of the Gaza Strip and the disbursement of salaries to the benefit of Gaza [government] employees appointed by Hamas since 2007."