Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has met publicly with Ismail Haniya, the political chief of his political rival Hamas, for the first time in more than five years.

The meeting was held late on Tuesday July 5, 2022, in Algeria’s capital, Algiers, on the sidelines of the country’s 60th anniversary of independence, with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in attendance.

Algerian state television aired footage of the meeting, describing it as “historic”.

No details of the conversation between Abbas and Haniya were released.

Algerian and Palestinian media outlets published photos of the pair shaking hands presided over by Tebboune.