Apart from international pressures, Hamas also faces internal challenges from other political and military groups in Gaza. Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (PIJ), also a grass-root militant organization in Gaza, has been expanding its presence in a subtle way, in an attempt to challenge Hamas rule.

PIJ was defiant to Israel's military dominance. It dares to fire rockets to Israel as much as it does not fear conflicts with Hamas. PIJ leaders have also been lobbying alone in other countries in the Middle East to secure assistance and aid.

In Gaza, there is also Fatah's old loyalists, who always try to restore Fatah's glory there.

For a long time since the 1990s, the prominent figure of Fatah Mohammed Dahlan was leader of Gaza. As a local, Dahlan enjoyed great popularity in the region. He built up his political and military power as a chief commander in Gaza, effectively turning the region into what the Western media called "Dahlanstan".

But Dahlan did not seem to be content just as the leader in Gaza but wanted to succeed Yasser Arafat as the supreme leader of Fatah. Dahlan showed his contempt to Abbas out of pride, which alerted the central Fatah authorities.

In 2007, Dahlan assisted in a U.S. plan to overthrow the elected Hamas government in Gaza, but the coup failed when Hamas carried out a counter-coup, and rooted Fatah forces in Gaza instead.

Dahlan's resignation to Abbas was later accepted. In June 2011 Dahlan was expelled from Fatah because of repeated claims by Abbas that he had murdered Arafat.

But Dahlan still managed to preserve his influence in Palestine largely because his financial abundance - more than US$100 million-worth of assets he amassed while governing Gaza - still proved necessary. Dahlan's eloquence still won him warm welcomes from countries like the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. For example, the present Egyptian Defense Minister Sedki Sobhi is in close contact with Dahlan.

There is reason to believe the sudden reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah can be partly attributed to Dahlan, whose influence in Gaza and Egypt brought about the handshake.

Despite being abrupt, the reconciliation was not entirely unprepared. Jalilah Dahlan, the wife of the strongman, suddenly visited Gaza claiming to be "visiting relatives." She was received with special treatment there - visiting the family's old villa in Gaza as well as her husband's old comrades. She boldly spoke to the press, too. All signs showed that Hamas, which was once determined to kill Dahlan, has decided to reconcile with Fatah.

The recent reconciliation cannot override the former feuds between the two sides, as hardliners play a part in both groups. There may be internal conflict in Palestine about how the coalition government will be formed and how the general election should be organized, given that the clash in 2007 was fueled by failure to form a coalition.

Considering all these factors, Fatah and Hamas are still far from reaching a long-lasting peace.

The writer is a Ph.D. student in International Politics at the University of Haifa in Israel.

This article was translated by Chen Boyuan. Its original unabridged versionwas published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.