Hamas in talks with former Fatah rival Mohammed Dahlan ahead of Palestinian elections

Hamas is exploring alliances with former Fatah figure Mohammed Dahlan and other factions ahead of the November 28, 2026 Palestinian Legislative Council elections, the first in two decades. Dahlan met with Hamas chief Khalil Al Hayya in Egypt to discuss national unity. Fatah denied the alliance's legitimacy.

Hamas is exploring potential alliances with figures and factions once considered political opponents, including former Fatah figure Mohammed Dahlan and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, ahead of the Palestinian Legislative Council elections scheduled for November 28, 2026. The election will be the first Palestinian legislative election in two decades, following Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip a year after the previous election. Dahlan met with Hamas chief Khalil Al Hayya in Egypt on Monday to discuss "unity of the national position," the Democratic Reform Bloc confirmed. Imad Mohsen, spokesperson for the Democratic Reform Movement, said the two discussed efforts to protect the Palestinian people and strengthen the national position, as well as developments in the negotiation process that led to approval of the roadmap for implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. Dahlan rose to prominence as the first head of the Preventive Security Service and has accused both Fatah and Hamas of corruption. He was reportedly behind a US-backed plot to unseat Hamas in 2007 but began thawing ties with the group in 2017. A Hamas official confirmed the group is forming a "political alliance" with multiple factions, though the matter remains "under study." Fatah spokesperson Abdel Fattah Dawla denied the alliance's legitimacy. Dr. Harel Chorev, a senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Center, commented that Dahlan's connection with Hamas is likely a strategic play to maintain influence in Gaza, noting that Dahlan has no desire to remain instrumental to Hamas's purposes.