Palestinian groups agree releases

Senior Hamas officials, including Mahmoud Zahar, have agreed to release Fatah detainees

Senior members of Hamas and Fatah, the main rival Palestinian factions, have agreed to release each other's members from detention.

Hamas has lifted house arrest on some Fatah members in the Gaza Strip while Fatah has released about 80 - out of a total 380 held - Hamas members.

The agreement came ahead of unity talks, due to start in Cairo, which could lead to more aid for Gaza.

The rivalry between the two came to a head when Hamas took control of Gaza.

"A certain number of detainees will be freed right at the beginning of the dialogue," said a statement from Azzam al-Ahmed, leader of the Fatah bloc in the Palestinian parliament, and Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official, referring to the talks about to start in Egypt.

"Other detainees will be freed successively so that this issue will be totally closed before the end of the national Palestinian dialogue," the statement said.

The two sides also promised to stop media attacks against each other.

Unity talks

About a dozen Palestinian groups are expected to be represented in the national dialogue, whose aim is to set up a unity government.

A unity government could serve for an interim period, preparing for new presidential and legislative elections and co-ordinating the rebuilding of Gaza.

The US, Britain and the EU have made clear that they would rather see non-partisan technocrats in control of the Palestinian territories than a coalition which includes Hamas.

Egypt had originally called for Palestinian reconciliation talks in November.

However, Hamas withdrew from the talks, complaining that Fatah continued to arrest Hamas members in the West Bank.

The two sides have fundamental differences over how to deal with Israel. While Fatah has renounced violence, Hamas refuses to recognise Israel. Hamas is prepared to accept a short-term truce but it reserves the right to fight Israel.