ISTANBUL

A Palestinian technocrat with extensive expertise in infrastructure, planning and public administration is leading a 15-person committee to run the Gaza Strip following Israel’s brutal war that has left the enclave in ruins.

Ali Shaath was appointed last week as the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, one of four bodies designated to manage the transitional phase in the enclave. Its formation was part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan that halted the Israeli war that has killed more than 71,000 people and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.

A former undersecretary in the Palestinian Authority, Shaath is widely regarded as a non-partisan figure whose career has been shaped more by technical expertise than political affiliation.

His appointment reflects efforts to place Gaza’s post-war administration under professional, technocratic leadership amid widespread devastation of infrastructure and urban systems.

Born in 1958 in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Shaath pursued his higher education abroad. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt, in 1982, before earning a master’s degree in the same field in 1986.

In 1989, he completed his doctorate in civil engineering at Queen’s University in the United Kingdom, specializing in infrastructure planning and urban development.

Urban development

Over the years, Shaath has held several senior positions within the Palestinian Authority, including undersecretary at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and at the Ministry of Transport. His work placed him at the center of policy-making related to development planning, transportation networks, and coordination with international donors.

Shaath also served as head of the Palestinian Industrial Estates and Free Zones Authority, where he played a key role in managing and developing industrial zones across Palestinian territories.

During this period, he contributed to initiatives aimed at strengthening industrial capacity and signed cooperation agreements with academic institutions to support the industrial sector.

In 2005, Shaath served as a member of Palestinian committees involved in final-status negotiations, focusing primarily on border issues and maritime access, files considered central to Palestinian economic sovereignty and mobility.

Despite holding senior government roles, Shaath has not been known for deep involvement in factional politics, a factor that has contributed to his reputation as a technocratic administrator rather than a political figure.

Shaath has lived in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he was living before the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza.

Mediators pin high hopes on his leadership of the administration to facilitate the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, in line with the plan announced by US President Donald Trump, "thereby contributing to consolidating the truce and preventing a renewed escalation," according to a joint statement shared by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.