Gaza will be run by 15 Palestinian technocrats if ceasefire reached: Egypt

ISTANBUL

The Gaza Strip will be administered by 15 Palestinian technocrats under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority (PA) if a ceasefire is reached, Egypt’s foreign minister said.

The Gaza administration “will be undertaken by 15 Palestinian technocrats under the PA supervision for a temporary period of six months, with an emphasis on the (administrative) unity between Gaza and the West Bank,” Badr Abdelatty said in a press conference in Cairo late Tuesday and cited by the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper on Wednesday.

The top diplomat, however, did not provide any further details.

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for talks with Egyptian officials on a 60-day Gaza ceasefire proposal. The discussions come as Israel pushes ahead with a phased reoccupation strategy approved by its Security Cabinet last week.

“The main goal is to return to the original proposal, a 60-day cease-fire, along with the release of some captives and some Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of humanitarian and medical aid into Gaza without obstacles or conditions,” Abdelatty said.

According to Israeli media, the proposal suggests a 60-day ceasefire, during which 10 living Israeli hostages will be released in two phases, and the bodies of 18 hostages will be handed over in three phases, in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners and the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Gaza will be run by a “non-Israeli civilian administration” after the occupation of Gaza City.

Netanyahu claimed that the planned administration will be run by third parties, “not Hamas or the Palestinian Authority,” without giving further details.

Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed more than 61,700 victims since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.