Technocratic committee overseeing Gaza transition revealed
The list of names comprising the new "technocratic" committee that will oversee a transition of power in Gaza, as part of the ceasefire to end the Israeli genocide, has been revealed.
According to a list seen by Middle East Eye, the new committee will consist of 15 Palestinians, led by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian deputy minister for planning.
The committee will be overseen by Bulgarian former UN Middle East peace coordinator Nickolay Mladenov.
The diplomat is reportedly set to serve as the high representative of a Donald Trump-led "Board of Peace" tasked with overseeing the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
Others on the committee include Omar Shamali, overseeing Communications; Abdul Karim Ashour, overseeing Agriculture; Aed Yaghi, responsible for Health, and Aed Abu Ramadan, for Industry and Economy.
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Jabr al-Daour will oversee Education; Bashir Al-Rayes will deal with Finance; Ali Barhoum will oversee Water and Municipalities; Hanaa Tarzi will be at Relief and Solidarity, and Adnan Salem Abu Warda will oversee the Judiciary.
Rami Tawfiq Helles will handle Endowments and Religious Affairs, Osama Hassan Al-Saadawi will oversee Housing and Public Works, and Samira Helles will cover Energy and Transportation.
Meanwhile, Sami Nasman, a retired senior Palestinian Authority security officer and a longtime critic of Hamas, will become the minister of security.
In 2015, a Gaza court sentenced Nasman, in absentia, to 15 years in prison for inciting "chaos" and allegedly orchestrating assassination attempts against Hamas leaders, Asharq al-Awsat reported.
Egypt said earlier on Wednesday that the majority of Palestinian factions had reached an agreement to support a technocratic committee to govern Gaza, opening the path for the second phase of President Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan.
Hamas' backing
Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they 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.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed earlier reported that committee members were instructed to keep their appointments confidential so that Trump could formally announce the initiative.
“We were told that President Donald Trump should be the first to announce the formation of the committee,” one member told the Doha-based news outlet.
The committee is expected to include figures from Gaza who have no affiliation with any Palestinian political factions in the besieged territory.
Sources told Al-Araby that Egypt is likely to host the committee’s first meeting and is coordinating with Israeli authorities to allow some Gaza-based members to travel. At least four members have remained in Egypt since the war began.
A senior Hamas source said the group has no objection to the names proposed for the committee.
A ceasefire aimed at ending the genocide in Gaza came into effect in October, but progress to the second phase of the deal has been complicated by continued Israeli attacks on the besieged territory.
Israel has killed more than 71,400 Palestinians and wounded at least 171,000 others since 7 October 2023, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Since the ceasefire in October, nearly 450 Palestinians have been killed, border crossings have remained largely closed, and restrictions remain on the entry of humanitarian aid.
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