Cairo - Rival Palestinian factions opened talks on forming a unity government on Tuesday at the start of 10 days of negotiations in Cairo.

The unity talks between Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank's Fatah, come after 75 donor countries pledged last week som 4.48 billion dollars to help rebuild warn-torn Gaza.

However most Western nations, like Israel, refuse to deal directly with Hamas.

Last month the two sides discussed the formation of five committees to work towards a unity government. Those committees will deal with reconciliation, elections, interim government, security and PLO-Hamas integration.

Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007 after ousting the pro-West Fatah under the leadership of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The move towards a unity Palestinian government comes as the right-wing Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to form the next Israeli government, most likely with a combination of ultra-nationalist and religious parties.

Netanyahu has refused to commit to a two-state solution to the conflict, instead promising only an "economic peace" with the occupied territories. (dpa)