The start of its second phase was announced by the president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, with the establishment of a 15-member technocratic Palestinian committee that will take over the administration of the area.
According to Witkoff, the US expects Hamas to fully comply with its obligations, including the immediate return of the last dead hostage, warning that non-compliance will have serious consequences.
The composition of the committee has been agreed
The commission’s composition was recently agreed at talks in Cairo, with Egypt stressing that Gaza will not secede politically from the West Bank and that a two-state solution remains essential. Some committee members are already in Gaza, while others are outside the region, and the body will initially be based in Cairo, which will likely require Israel to open the Rafah crossing.
The commission’s operation depends on successfully raising funds to support the initiative, something the US has been trying to achieve with limited success so far. The committee will be chaired by former Palestinian Authority deputy transport minister Ali Shaath.
The armed Palestinian organizations also agree
The majority of Palestinian movements, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, have expressed support for the technocratic committee, seeing it as a transitional, national body that will help manage daily life and basic services in the Gaza Strip.
