IMEMC has learned that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and his Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh began a behind-closed-doors meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday’s meeting comes hours after the two leaders secretly met on Tuesday night.
According to Ghazi Hammad, spokesperson for Haniyeh, the two officials met last night to discuss Israeli threats that Hamas leaders, including Haniyeh himself, may be targeted in the near future.
The Israeli military has stepped up attacks on Hamas after the movement’s armed wing fired a barrage of home-made shells into nearby Israeli towns, threatening an already fragile ceasefire and aiding theh cause of Palestinian unity after much infighting in the Gaza region.
Well-informed sources told IMEMC that yesterday night’s secret meeting discussed ways of enhancing the Hamas-Fatah ceasefire as well as initiating a state of calm with Israel.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Fatah movement, Abdelhakim Awad, revealed that a meeting involving President Abbas and representatives of five Palestinian factions would be held Wednesday to discuss reinforcement of the ceasefire with Israel in addition to embarking on internal security reforms.
Deputy-Prime Minister Azzam al-Ahmad revealed that Prime Minister Haniyeh may possibly take part in the Abbas-factions meeting.
Spokesperson Ghazi Hammad, however, declined to comment.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called on Wednesday for Israel to accept a ceasefire proposal to stop the Israeli attacks on Gaza in return for halting the fire of home-made shells fire into Israel.
The one-week-old Israeli bombardment of Gaza has thus far killed 36 Palestinians, including seven children, and wounded 133 others including 27 critically, while 173 home-made shells landed on adjacent Israeli areas, killing one woman and slightly injuring several others.
