The Palestinian National Liberation Movement ( Fatah ) kicked off on Thursday its eighth general conference across the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Egypt, as it seeks to project unity and organisational renewal while facing mounting public frustration during Israel's genocidal war on Gaza .
The conference, which will continue until Sunday, brings together around 2,500 members, along with senior Palestinian officials and foreign diplomats.
Delegates are expected to elect new members to the movement's Central Committee and Revolutionary Council at a time when Fatah faces mounting questions about its future, political relevance, and the looming issue of succession to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas , according to a Fatah official.
The gathering comes nearly a decade after Fatah's 2016 seventh conference. It unfolds against a dramatically transformed Palestinian landscape shaped by the destruction in Gaza, expanding Israeli operations in the occupied West Bank , and a growing loss of faith in Palestinian political institutions.
The official opening ceremony is set to take place at the Ahmad Shuqairi Hall in Ramallah, with diplomats accredited to the Palestinian Authority and several international figures, including Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in attendance.
Fatah leaders intend the conference to project institutional resilience despite the war and regional turmoil.
Sabri Saidam, a senior Fatah official, told The New Arab that the gathering is "far more than an internal organisational process", arguing that it represents an attempt to "rebuild the movement at a critical moment for the Palestinian cause".
"The fact that the conference is being held despite the war sends a political message that the Palestinian national project has not collapsed," Saidam said. "There is a need to improve organisational performance, renew leadership structures, and create opportunities for younger generations inside the movement."
He acknowledged, however, that restoring public trust has become one of the movement's greatest challenges, particularly in Gaza, where many Palestinians feel abandoned amid the ongoing Israeli assault and humanitarian catastrophe.
The conference is unfolding as Fatah itself faces increasing internal tensions between veteran leaders seeking to preserve their influence and younger figures hoping to reshape the movement's direction after years of political stagnation.
The broader Palestinian political environment has only intensified the pressure. The Palestinian Authority remains weakened by years of division with Hamas, stalled reconciliation efforts, and widespread public frustration over its inability to halt Israeli expansion or secure meaningful political gains. Value of political conferences In Gaza , where much of the population is preoccupied with survival, news of the conference has been received with a mixture of scepticism, bitterness and exhaustion.
Inside a crowded school shelter in Gaza City, Ahmed Abu Shar, a displaced government employee, told TNA that the discussions about leadership elections feel detached from the reality Palestinians are enduring under bombardment, hunger and displacement.
"People here are not thinking about internal elections," the 42-year-old father of four said, adding that "they are asking whether the war will stop, whether there will be food tomorrow, whether their children will survive."
Abu Shar stressed that Palestinians do not oppose Fatah reorganising itself but argued that any political process must address the urgent realities facing Gaza's population.
"If this conference can produce a real vision to end division, restore unity and push seriously for a ceasefire, then it matters, but if it becomes only another struggle over positions and influence, then nothing will change for ordinary people," he explained.
His remarks reflect a wider sentiment among many in Gaza that Palestinian political factions have become increasingly disconnected from the daily suffering of civilians trapped in the war.
Sally Awad, who was displaced from northern Gaza to the central part of the Strip, said political conferences no longer inspire hope. "We've spent months living inside a tent," she remarked. "No one is protecting us—not Fatah, not Hamas, not anyone. People are searching for water, food and safety, while politicians are talking about elections and conferences."
Such sentiments point to a widening gap between Palestinian society and its political leadership, particularly after months of war that have devastated Gaza's infrastructure and displaced most of its population.
The growing frustration is not directed at one faction alone. Many Palestinians increasingly express disillusionment with the entire political system, accusing rival movements of prioritising internal rivalries over developing a unified national strategy capable of confronting Israel's war and the broader crisis facing Palestinians.
The conference also arrives at a moment when questions surrounding the future of governance in Gaza have become deeply entangled with debates over the post-war political order, the future role of Hamas, and the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority itself. Internal struggles and the future Palestinian political analyst Ibrahim Abrash described the eighth Fatah conference as perhaps the movement's most sensitive and controversial gathering in decades.
"The timing alone makes it exceptional […] The movement is holding this conference while there are existential questions surrounding the future of the Palestinian Authority, the national movement, and the post-war political system," he told TNA .
Abrash argued that convening the conference was politically necessary because it demonstrates that Fatah is attempting to maintain institutional continuity despite the war.
Yet he warned that internal disputes over membership and representation have overshadowed deeper political discussions.
"The real debate should be about the political programme, how to confront the occupation, and the future relationship with other Palestinian factions," he said. "Instead, much of the focus has shifted toward organisational balances and internal power struggles."
According to Abrash, tensions between Fatah's old guard and younger cadres seeking a greater role inside the movement have become increasingly visible ahead of the elections for the Central Committee and Revolutionary Council.
He warned that unless the movement undergoes genuine political renewal, it risks transforming into what he called "a bureaucratic organisation disconnected from the spirit of national liberation on which Fatah was founded".
Founded in the late 1950s by Yasser Arafat and other Palestinian leaders, Fatah emerged as the dominant faction within the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and led the Palestinian national movement for decades.
Despite remaining the backbone of the Palestinian Authority, the movement has seen its popularity decline over the years amid accusations of political paralysis, failed reconciliation efforts and an inability to confront Israeli policies effectively.
Observers believe the conference's outcomes could shape the next phase of Palestinian politics, particularly regarding succession arrangements after Abbas and possible efforts to restructure Palestinian institutions once the war ends.
Yet for many in Gaza , such political calculations feel distant from the immediate struggle to survive.