• Committee launches its activities from Cairo, pledges focus on humanitarian relief during 2-year transition

ISTANBUL

Ali Shaath, head of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, said on Friday the body has “officially” begun work to manage the enclave, launching its activities from Cairo after “a broad national consensus and formal authorization from Palestinian leadership.”

Speaking to Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News, Shaath said the committee’s formation followed wide Palestinian agreement and a leadership mandate, with international and US backing aimed at helping Palestinians emerge from the current crisis.

Shaath said his appointment to head the committee rests on “solid legal and political foundations,” citing UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and a 20-point ceasefire plan put forward by US President Donald Trump.

The committee is intended to serve as a vital link between Gaza and the West Bank, helping pave the way toward an independent Palestinian state, he added.

According to Shaath, the committee comprises 15 Palestinian figures known for their “professional and moderate backgrounds” and long experience in development, relief and humanitarian work inside Gaza.

He said it will operate for a two-year transitional period, prioritizing assistance to the most vulnerable, particularly women, children and the sick, after years of hardship and blockade.

Shaath said the body aims to alleviate the severity of the living crisis in the strip.

One-year budget allocated

Earlier in the day, Shaath said that a one-year budget has been provided by donor states to enable the committee to carry out its work, stressing the need to establish an international reconstruction fund, according to the same Egyptian outlet.

“The committee is pushing to create a reconstruction and relief fund at the World Bank,” Ali Shaath said, describing it as a key step for Gaza’s recovery.

Shaath added that the committee’s goal is “to give the Palestinian people hope that there is a future,” adding that its immediate objective is to bring “smiles on the faces of Gaza’s children, women, and men,” the channel reported.

The channel said the committee began its meetings in Egypt late Thursday after all members arrived in Cairo.

The meeting follows an announcement by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement has begun, in line with understandings reached during talks among Palestinian factions in Cairo on Wednesday.

The developments come after Trump announced the creation of a Gaza “Board of Peace” under his chairmanship as part of his ceasefire plan, which was welcomed by the UN Security Council on Nov. 17, 2025.

The board’s members were initially expected to be announced in early 2026, but Trump said Thursday that the names “will be announced soon.”

So far, no full list has been released. The only announced member, in addition to Trump as chair, is Nikolay Mladenov, who is set to serve as the board’s executive director and on-the-ground representative.

According to the plan, the board’s main tasks include coordinating reconstruction and international funding, supporting disarmament, facilitating the flow of aid and the movement of people and goods, and directing a planned international stabilization force until the Palestinian Authority regains full control following required reforms.

Palestinians have accused Israel of repeatedly violating the Oct. 10 ceasefire that halted Israel’s brutal war that has killed more than 71,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

At least 460 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 1,270 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to the Health Ministry.