Senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad (right) and Hamas's representative Saleh al-Arouri  (left) signed the reconciliation deal in Cairo on October 12  (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

The deal hands administrative control of the Gaza Strip to a Fatah-backed unity government. Egypt has been brokering the reconciliation talks in Cairo. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been ruled separately since deadly clashes between the two groups broke out in 2007. Hamas won parliamentary elections in the occupied territories the previous year, and reinforced its power in Gaza after ousting Fatah from the enclave. Negotiators said the new deal includes handing over control of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to the Fatah-backed government, which will take over administrative responsibilities by December.