Palestinians say Hamas and Fatah close to deal on post-war Gaza administration
3 December 2024, 15:14
Such a move would effectively end Hamas’s rule and could help advance ceasefire talks with Israel.
Palestinian officials have said Fatah and Hamas are closing in on an agreement to appoint a committee of politically independent technocrats to administer the Gaza Strip after the war.
Such a move would effectively end Hamas’s rule and could help advance ceasefire talks with Israel.
The rival factions have made several failed attempts to reconcile since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007.
However Israel has ruled out any post-war role in Gaza for either Hamas or Fatah, which dominates the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
A Palestinian Authority official confirmed on Tuesday that a preliminary agreement has been reached following weeks of negotiations in Cairo. The official said the committee would have 12-15 members, most of them from Gaza.
It would report to the Palestinian Authority, which has its headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and work with local and international parties to facilitate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.
A Hamas official said Hamas and Fatah have agreed on the general terms but are still negotiating over some details and the individuals who would serve on the committee.
The official said an agreement will be announced after a meeting of all Palestinian factions in Cairo, without providing a timeline.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and scores of hostages are returned.
He said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza, with civilian affairs administered by local Palestinians unaffiliated with the Palestinian Authority or Hamas.
No Palestinians have publicly volunteered for such a role, and Hamas has threatened anyone who co-operates with the Israeli military.
The United States has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza ahead of eventual statehood.
The Israeli government, which is opposed to Palestinian statehood, is reportedly discussing a post-war plan with the United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020 and backs a rival Fatah faction.
The Hamas official said the emerging Palestinian agreement would fulfil one of Israel’s war goals by ending Hamas’s rule in Gaza. It is unclear if Israeli officials would see it that way.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank, recognises Israel and co-operates with it on security matters, a policy that is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, many of whom view it as a subcontractor of the occupation.
Israel says the authority has not done enough to combat militancy or curb incitement.
The committee would assume its responsibilities after a ceasefire agreement with Israel, the Hamas official said.
American and Arab mediators have spent nearly a year trying to broker such an agreement, but the negotiations have repeatedly stalled.
Hamas ignited the war with its attack on Israel on October 7 2023, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Some 100 hostages remain inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many of the dead were combatants.
The offensive has flattened much of the coastal territory and displaced the vast majority of its 2.3 million residents.
