CAIRO: Palestinian factions led by Fatah and Hamas have agreed to hold general elections no later than at the end of 2018, as part of the latest round of reconciliation talks held in Cairo, reports Al Jazeera. In a statement released after the conclusion of the talks on Wednesday, representatives of the factions urged the Central Election Commission to complete preparations for the presidential and legislative elections by the end of next year.

Other major points agreed to were the activation of the now mostly defunct Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the true representative body for the Palestinian people, and ending the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who have been living under a blockade for more than a decade. In addition to the Fatah and Hamas movements, the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine participated in the two-day Cairo meetings.

On October 12, Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement based on a unity government, but left several issues unanswered, such as whether the military wing of Hamas will be disarmed.