RAMALLAH, West Bank — It appears the long-besieged Gaza Strip might finally benefit as alliances continue to shift in the Middle East. Gaza, ruled by Hamas, is actually being wooed by both sides in the Qatar crisis.

Hamas concluded a set of meetings earlier this month with dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan and the Egypt-backed United Arab Emirates (UAE). Those meetings give the Gaza Strip hope for a breakthrough in its decadelong blockade by Israel and Egypt.

This breakthrough opens up several possibilities: a $100 million power plant that would take 18 months to build; the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at the end of August; and the activation of the community reconciliation committee that was established under the 2011 reconciliation agreement concluded in Cairo. The committee, backed by Hamas and its one-time foe Dahlan, will settle the cases of those killed in the 2007 inter-Palestinian conflict by financially compensating their families. All of these projects are to be funded by the UAE, where Dahlan lives.

These understandings benefit all parties concerned. Hamas will strengthen its rule in Gaza, the electricity crisis will be solved, and the Rafah crossing will be opened, thus facilitating the travel of individuals and the movement of goods to and from the Gaza Strip. The arrangement could also restore social calm once the families of those who fell prey to the Palestinian division are financially compensated, thus preventing any retaliatory operations to avenge the deaths of their relatives. Meanwhile, Egyptian security will benefit, as Hamas' Ministry of Interior announced June 28 that it started setting up a buffer zone on its border. What’s more, the understandings will allow Dahlan to return to Palestinian politics and deal a blow to his rival, Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, who dismissed Dahlan from Fatah.