World Bulletin / News Desk

Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have agreed to hold new consultations on forming a unity government with the aim of overcoming differences and holding elections, officials said on Sunday.

Last year the rivals signed an agreement that was meant to bring the formation of a unity government and a parliamentary election on May 4, but the negotiations faltered.

An Egyptian official in Cairo, where the deal was brokered, told Reuters news agency that the leaders of the two groups agreed on Sunday "to resolve sticking points in the national unity pact".

The Hamas and Fatah teams will meet again on May 27.