Hamas and Fatah agree on postwar Gaza administration

After weeks of deliberation, Fatah and Hamas agreed on Monday to an Egyptian proposal to form a joint committee of politically independent bureaucrats to administer postwar Gaza.
Once established, the 12-15-member committee would effectively end Hamas’s rule in Gaza, negotiate a ceasefire deal with Israel, supervise distribution of humanitarian aid, oversee Gaza’s civil administration and co-ordinate reconstruction.
The committee would also manage the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in line with the arrangement reached in 2005 when Israel withdrew its soldiers and setters from Gaza. At that time, the European Union’s Border Assistance Mission provided advice, training and equipment to facilitate the free movement of people and goods through the crossing.
Fatah’s delegation was headed by central committee member Azzam al-Ahmad, who is in charge of the party’s Gaza file. The Hamas team was led by politburo deputy chief Khalil al-Hayya who is also on the five-man group that succeeded Yahya Sinwar after he was assassinated by Israel in October.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is expected to approve the deal and issue a decree for the formation of the “communal support committee”, which would be subordinate to the West Bank-based Palestinian government, led by prime minister Mohammed Mustafa. Mr Abbas had previously scuttled attempts to reconcile his Fatah movement with Hamas after it seized control of Gaza in 2007.
A senior Hamas official cited by ABC News said the movement backed the effort because it “provides humanitarian support for the people of Gaza”. He said the sides continue to discuss details and select individuals to serve on the committee. Final arrangements will be announced following a meeting of all Palestinian factions in Cairo.
The Hamas official also told ABC News that the agreement would meet one of Israel’s main war objectives by terminating Hamas rule in Gaza.
A Palestinian official told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that it is “uncertain whether prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his government would go along with this move”.
Mr Netanyahu has so far rejected any postwar role in Gaza for either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. The Biden administration has called for a “reformed” Palestinian Authority to assume the administration of Gaza while the United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020, has suggested a pan-Arab force to re-establish law and order once Israel withdraws completely from Gaza.
Mr Netanyahu has also rejected relinquishing control of the Egypt-Gaza border, known as the Philadelphi corridor, and has insisted that Israel will retain the wide militarised Netzarim corridor, which bisects Gaza and controls movement between north and south.
The Fatah-Hamas agreement on the joint committee coincides with the renewal diplomatic efforts by the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey to end the Gaza war following the November 27th ceasefire between Lebanon’s Hizbullah and Israel.