Egypt To Hold Palestinian Talks On Feb 25 - Hamas

Ending divisions between Islamist Hamas and the rival Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is seen as key to ending Gaza blockade.

Egyptian-hosted reconciliation talks between Palestinian factions will take place on Wednesday, a Hamas spokesman said on Saturday.

Ending divisions between Islamist Hamas and the rival Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is seen as key to ending an Israeli-led blockade of the Gaza Strip, enforced since Hamas won a parliamentary election in 2006.

The reconciliation talks were meant to have begun in Egypt on Sunday, but were postponed last week with Hamas blaming Israel's refusal to enter a new Gaza truce after its January offensive in the territory to counter cross-border rocket fire.

Hamas drove Fatah out of Gaza in a 2007 civil war, leaving Abbas with a truncated mandate in the occupied West Bank.

Fatah has mounted roundups of West Bank Hamas activists. Hamas wants them released as part of the rapprochement efforts.

"In order for the dialogue to succeed, serious work must be exerted to release all political prisoners from the Palestinian Authority jails in the West Bank," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, who announced the Feb. 25 date for the talks.

A Fatah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the new date and said his faction could order an imminent amnesty for some Hamas prisoners.

"Under an understanding with Hamas, there will be releases of many Hamas detainees," the Fatah official told Reuters.