The US is set to announce a technocratic Palestinian body to run Gaza, led by Ali Shaath, as part of the second phase of Trump’s peace plan.
CAIRO: The United States is expected to announce the administration that will run Gaza as part of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan for the territory’s future.
Four Palestinian sources said the announcement is expected on Wednesday.
The plan, agreed to by Israel and Hamas in October, calls for a technocratic Palestinian body to govern Gaza during a transitional period, overseen by an international “Board of Peace”.
The 14-member body will not include representation from Hamas.
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It will be headed by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority who was in charge of developing industrial zones.
Other members, tapped by former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, include individuals from the private sector and NGOs.
Mladenov is expected to represent the Board of Peace on the ground.
This move comes despite ongoing issues from the first phase of Trump’s plan, which included a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Those issues include Israeli airstrikes that have killed hundreds, Hamas’s refusal to disarm, the unresolved return of one last Israeli hostage, and delays in reopening Gaza’s Rafah border crossing.
Trump has stated his intention to proceed to the second phase despite both sides accusing each other of breaching the initial deal.
The second phase entails establishing the Board of Peace and deploying peacekeeping forces, which has yet to be agreed upon.
Hamas leaders and other Palestinian factions are currently in Cairo for talks on this next phase.
Egyptian sources said the talks with Hamas would now focus on the group’s disarmament.
Hamas has so far refused to lay down its weapons, stating it will only do so once a Palestinian state is established.
Further Israeli withdrawals within Gaza are tied to this disarmament.
Members of the new technocratic committee were expected to meet with Mladenov in Cairo on Wednesday.
Both Hamas and its rival Fatah group, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, have endorsed the list of members, according to Egyptian and Palestinian sources.
The committee will also include the head of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, Ayed Abu Ramadan, and Omar Shamali, who has worked for the Palestinian Telecommunication Group PALTEL.
Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. – Reuters
