The Fatah movement informed Egyptian officials that Palestinian reconciliation should be a priority above all else. The reconciliation should be based on empowering the government in the Gaza Strip, after which a new agreement could be reached through the Palestinian Authority (PA). A Palestinian delegation met with Egyptian officials and informed them that the PA should restore its authority over the Strip above all else because it is the only body authorized to sign and implement agreements related to any part of Palestine, informed Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. The delegation was headed by Azzam al-Ahmed, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization executive council and Fatah central council. Fatah also objected to the representation of small factions affiliated with Hamas that have no political status or standing in the talks, stressing that it will not meet with them in the future. Addressing a possible truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, the delegation told Egyptian officials that such a pact would be part of the so-called "Deal of the Century" plan to isolate Gaza from the West Bank and turn the Palestinian issue into a humanitarian one. It warned that the Palestinian leadership will respond to such a deal with unexpected measures. Ahmed stated that Egypt had offered new proposals to achieve Palestinian reconciliation. Fatah is supposed to inform Egyptian officials of its final position on a revised Egyptian paper on reconciliation. Ahmed explained that views were exchanged on the issue of national reconciliation, but they did not see any positive development because all the meetings held in Cairo prior to last week’s Eid al-Adha holiday focused mostly on the truce. Fatah’s position had a direct impact on the truce talks, which were postponed by Egypt after they were supposed to resume on Monday. Hamas also announced the postponement of the truce talks without giving any explanation. Hamas official Husam Badran said the movement’s stance was firm on “reaching real national unity based on the 2011 agreement.” Last week, President Mahmoud Abbas warned that there can be no two separate entities ruling Palestinian territories, stating that if the PA is not handed complete control of Gaza, Hamas will be held accountable. Israel, meanwhile, accused Abbas of trying to ignite a confrontation between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Energy and Water Minister Yuval Steinitz said Abbas was purposefully instigating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “The PA should not get our backing,” he stated, adding: “They have purposefully created the humanitarian crisis in recent months, and they are interested in pushing us to a military conflict in Gaza.” “Abu Mazen is working to create bloody riots in Gaza, so that we, in turn, can hit Hamas – his enemies, and then he can travel around the world and denounce us,” Steinitz said. He said that it was in Israel’s interest to reach a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza and that the PA and West Bank should be excluded from it.