Washington close to forming a Palestinian committee to administer the Gaza Strip

The name of Ali Shaath has emerged as one of the Palestinian figures proposed to chair the technocratic committee.

The New York Times reported that the United States is close to announcing the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee to manage the Gaza Strip, with expectations that the announcement could be made as early as Wednesday.

The American newspaper cited four officials and six informed sources saying that Ali Shaath, former Palestinian deputy minister of planning, has been selected to head the committee, with no immediate comment from the Palestinian side.

According to the report, Washington is nearing the establishment of a committee of Palestinian technocrats to oversee daily life in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by the Israeli war.

The sources, who requested anonymity, said the announcement of the committee could come on Wednesday, as Palestinian officials from Hamas and other factions are meeting in Egypt for negotiations.

On Tuesday evening, Hamas announced the arrival of its negotiating delegation, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, the movement’s leader in the Gaza Strip, in the Egyptian capital Cairo, to hold talks on completing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and reopening the Rafah crossing.

According to a statement by the movement, the delegation is scheduled to meet with leaders of Palestinian forces and factions to discuss the rapidly unfolding political and field developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

Ali Shaath’s name has thus emerged as one of the Palestinian figures put forward to lead the technocratic committee. Shaath, who is expected to chair the committee, is originally from Gaza, currently resides in the West Bank, and has previously held several positions within the Palestinian government.

Under the US plan, the technocratic committee will operate under the supervision of what is referred to as the “Peace Council,” led by US President Donald Trump. The council is expected to include global leaders, whose names will be announced at a later stage, according to the American newspaper.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Washington administration will announce on Wednesday the transition to the second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, as well as the formation of a committee of 15 Palestinians to temporarily administer the territory.

Officials noted that this would make it possible to move from the phase of ending the war to the phase of governing the territory and rebuilding it, which the US administration categorizes as the second phase of the ceasefire plan.

According to the newspaper, the United States is expected to announce the names of the 15 Palestinians who will serve on the national committee for administering Gaza, which will be responsible for the territory’s daily management, including public services, education, and sanitation.

The newspaper added, citing the officials, that Nikolay Mladenov, former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and former Bulgarian foreign minister (2010–2013), will be appointed as the new senior representative of the so-called Peace Council chaired by Trump.

Regarding Mladenov’s role, officials said he will act as a liaison between the Palestinian technocratic committee and the Peace Council.

On September 29, Trump announced a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, including the release of Israeli prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, Israel’s withdrawal from the territory, the formation of a technocratic government, and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

The first phase of the agreement entered into force on October 10. However, Israel has repeatedly violated it and delayed the transition to the second phase, resulting in the killing and injury of hundreds of Palestinian civilians.