GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Marches announcing the beginning of Fatah's 48th anniversary celebrations began in Gaza on Monday.

Cars and motorbikes were seen carrying Palestinian and Fatah flags in the Gaza Strip, with PA official Ahmad Olwan saying celebratory events will start Monday evening.

Fatah will hold its 48th anniversary celebrations in al-Saraya square, Gaza City on January 4.

It will be the first time that Hamas has allowed Fatah to hold such events since seizing the coastal enclave from the secular faction in 2007. Fatah also permitted a Hamas anniversary rally in the West Bank earlier this month for the first time in six years.

Fatah was founded in 1965 by late President Yasser Arafat and has long been the dominant force in Palestinian politics and a cornerstone in the nationalist struggle.