Senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuk said Hamas has signed a national unity agreement with rivals Fatah, while on a visit to China.

Abu Marzuk said the agreement had also been formed with other Palestinian groups.

He said: “Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we call for it.”

Fatah and Hamas leaders signed a joint statement on Tuesday in Beijing aimed at ending divisions and building Palestinian unity.

However the deal is unlikely to resolve the long-held divisions between the Palestinian political factions.

China, who is keen to promote the idea it can be a key mediator between Palestinian political factions, did not immediately release the content of what they called the “Beijing declaration.”

Three days of negotiations were hosted by Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister.