GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — More than 2,000 supporters of former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan have staged a march in Gaza, raising banners with large photos of him.

Thursday's rally was the latest sign that a power-sharing deal between Gaza's ruling Hamas and Dahlan, the Islamic militant group's former nemesis, is slowly taking shape.

Dahlan backers opened an office in Gaza last month to rebuild his political operation and began disbursing $2 million in Dahlan-procured aid from the United Arab Emirates to Gaza's poor.

The new deal could help neighboring Egypt contain Hamas with new security arrangements. The exiled Dahlan, who fell out with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2010, can launch a political comeback. And the embattled Hamas gets a chance to prolong its rule.