Thousands of Palestinians attended a rare Hamas rally in the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday, celebrating the group's "victory" over Israel in Gaza. The rally is the first time that the West Bank's ruling Palestinian Authority - which is dominated by the Fatah faction, Hamas's bitter rival - have allowed such a gathering since 2007.
It comes as the two movements, which dominate the Palestinian political scene, are taking tentative steps towards restarting a fraught reconciliation process, which has stalled in the past year. An AFP correspondent said at least 5,000 people were taking part in the celebration, which also marks 25 years since the establishment of the Islamist group.
Despite an overcast sky, the mood was exuberant, with enthusiastic youths waving the green flag of Hamas as a procession left the city's Al-Nasser mosque. Yussef Iqtishaat, a teenager attending the rally with his family, was among those eagerly brandishing the movement's flag. "It's a great day thanks to the victory in Gaza," he told AFP. Women wearing head scarves carried banners praising the movement and its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. "Jihad is our way," and The battle (in Gaza) is the road to liberation," some read.
Among those speaking at the rally was Amin Maqbul, secretary general of Fatah's revolutionary council, who saluted the rival movement. Speaking to AFP, Hamas lawmaker Hosni al-Burini called on the Palestinian Authority "to intensify its efforts for national unity."
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