Palestinian rivals Fatah, Hamas reach reconciliation deal 10/12/2017 2:03:52 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print FILE PHOTO; Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (R) and Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh hold hands in Gaza City October 2, 2017. CAIRO/GAZA, Reuters, October 12, 2017  - Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah reached a deal over political reconciliation on Thursday after Hamas agreed to hand over administrative control of the Gaza enclave the group has controlled for more than a decade. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh announced the Egyptian-brokered accord in a statement without providing further details about a deal expected to cover administrative, security and border crossing arrangements in the Gaza Strip. The Western-backed mainstream Fatah party lost control of Gaza to Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the West and Israel, in a brief civil war in 2007. But last month Hamas agreed to cede powers in Gaza to Pr...