The Palestinian committee set to govern post-war Gaza held its first meeting in Cairo on Friday, Egyptian state-linked channel Al-Qahera News reported.
Formed on Wednesday as the second phase of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal came into effect, the committee is made up of 15 technocrats charged with administering the Palestinian territory after the Hamas-Israel war.
Ali Shaath, the Palestinian former government official chosen to administer Gaza, has an ambitious plan that includes pushing war debris into the Mediterranean Sea and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure within three years.
Under a 20-point Gaza truce plan brokered by US President Donald Trump in October, the Palestinian territory would be governed by the committee operating under the supervision of a so-called “Board of Peace”, to be chaired by Trump himself.
Meanwhile, Trump’s envoy said Wednesday that the plan to end the war on Gaza was now moving to Phase Two with a goal of disarming Hamas, despite continued Israeli strikes during the ceasefire.
“We are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,” envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on X.
Phase Two “begins the full demilitarisation and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorised personnel.”
“The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences,” he said.
Hamas officials said that the group had opened talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on the committee.
“We hope that following this agreement, the committee will be announced soon… and will then be deployed to the Gaza Strip to manage daily life and essential services,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said.
The majority of the Palestinian factions offered their support to the committee after Abdelatty’s announcement.
In a statement, the factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they had agreed “to support the mediators’ efforts in forming the Palestinian National Transitional Committee to administer the Gaza Strip, while providing the appropriate environment” for it to begin its work.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian presidency also announced its support in official media, with a source from the office telling AFP the statement “reflects the position of the Fatah movement because President (Mahmud) Abbas is also the head of Fatah”.
The Cairo meeting aimed to address the formation of the committee and its operational mechanisms, a senior Hamas official had previously told AFP on condition of anonymity.