Palestinians agree joint committee to run Gaza
Published: 05:12 PM,Dec 03,2024 | EDITED : 09:12 PM,Dec 03,2024
Palestinians walk in a devastated neighbourhood due to Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip city. — AFP
CAIRO: Palestinian movement Hamas and Palestinian Fatah party have agreed to create a committee to jointly run post-war Gaza, negotiators from both sides said on Tuesday. Under the plan, which needs President Abbas's approval, the committee would be composed of 10 to 15 non-partisan figures with authority on matters related to the economy, education, health, humanitarian aid and reconstruction, according to a draft of the proposal. Following talks in Cairo brokered by Egypt, the two rival factions agreed the committee would administer the Palestinian side of the Rafah checkpoint on the border with Egypt -- the territory's only crossing not shared with Israel.
Fatah's delegation, led by central party committee member Azzam al-Ahmad, would return on Tuesday to Ramallah to seek Abbas's final approval, negotiators from both sides said. The Hamas delegation was headed by politburo member Khalil al Hayya.
The initiative comes at a time of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza war, which was sparked by unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. These efforts, led by the United States together with Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, come nearly a week after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force in Lebanon.
As US President Joe Biden's administration prepares to hand over power in January to president-elect Donald Trump, Palestinians face intense US pressure to ensure Hamas will have no role in Gaza once the war ends. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history, made Hamas's destruction in Gaza one of its main war objectives. It also has repeatedly expressed strong opposition to the Palestinian Authority playing any role in the Gaza Strip after the war. Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 44,466 deaths, also mostly civilians, according to data from Gaza's health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.
Britain, France and Germany had written to the Israel government to 'urge action on the unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza', UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Monday. In a post on X, he said: 'Israel must implement the UN's winter plan now: send equipment to guard against cold & flooding, give access to fuel, repair vital infrastructure, and get aid in.'
The United Nations on Monday described the situation in Gaza as 'horrific and apocalyptic'. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised what he saw as restrictions on aid delivery, calling current levels 'grossly insufficient'. International aid organisations have raised the alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning its 2.4 million people were on the brink of famine. UN agencies and NGOs have highlighted the difficulties in distributing aid within Gaza, citing challenges such as fuel shortages for trucks and increasing insecurity, as well as numerous restrictions they claim are imposed by Israeli military authorities on the ground. — AFP
Fatah's delegation, led by central party committee member Azzam al-Ahmad, would return on Tuesday to Ramallah to seek Abbas's final approval, negotiators from both sides said. The Hamas delegation was headed by politburo member Khalil al Hayya.
The initiative comes at a time of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza war, which was sparked by unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. These efforts, led by the United States together with Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, come nearly a week after a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force in Lebanon.
As US President Joe Biden's administration prepares to hand over power in January to president-elect Donald Trump, Palestinians face intense US pressure to ensure Hamas will have no role in Gaza once the war ends. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, one of the most right-wing in Israel's history, made Hamas's destruction in Gaza one of its main war objectives. It also has repeatedly expressed strong opposition to the Palestinian Authority playing any role in the Gaza Strip after the war. Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 44,466 deaths, also mostly civilians, according to data from Gaza's health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.
Britain, France and Germany had written to the Israel government to 'urge action on the unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza', UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Monday. In a post on X, he said: 'Israel must implement the UN's winter plan now: send equipment to guard against cold & flooding, give access to fuel, repair vital infrastructure, and get aid in.'
The United Nations on Monday described the situation in Gaza as 'horrific and apocalyptic'. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised what he saw as restrictions on aid delivery, calling current levels 'grossly insufficient'. International aid organisations have raised the alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning its 2.4 million people were on the brink of famine. UN agencies and NGOs have highlighted the difficulties in distributing aid within Gaza, citing challenges such as fuel shortages for trucks and increasing insecurity, as well as numerous restrictions they claim are imposed by Israeli military authorities on the ground. — AFP