CAIRO (AP) – Palestinian officials say Fatah and Hamas are closing in on a deal to establish an independent political committee to govern the Gaza Strip after the war. It will end the rule of Hamas and may help advance the ceasefire negotiations with Israel.
The rival parties have tried to reconcile several times since Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007. Israel has rejected the post-war role in Gaza of Hamas or Fatah, the ruling western-backed Palestinian Authority.
A Palestinian Authority official on Tuesday confirmed that the agreement was reached following weeks of negotiations in Cairo. The official said the committee will have 12-15 members, most of them from Gaza.
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It will report to the Palestinian Authority, which is in charge of the West Bank occupied by Israel, and work with local and international parties to facilitate humanitarian aid and reconstruction.
A senior Hamas official said that Hamas and Fatah have agreed on general terms but are still discussing other matters and the people who will serve on the committee. The official said the agreement would be announced after a meeting of all Palestinian factions in Cairo, without giving a time frame.
The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media on these discussions. There was no immediate response from Israel.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, has promised to continue the war until Hamas is removed and many people who were taken captive are returned. He says Israel will remain open to controlling the security of Gaza, with civilian affairs led by local Palestinians who have no ties to the Palestinian Authority or Hamas.
No Palestinians have publicly volunteered to do such work, and Hamas has threatened anyone who works with the Israeli army.
The United States has called for a renewed Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza before the world. The Israeli government, which opposes Palestinian statehood, is said to be discussing a post-war deal with the United Arab Emirates, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020 and supports the Fatah opposition party.
A senior Hamas official said the emerging Palestinian accord would achieve one of the goals of Israel’s war by ending Hamas rule in Gaza. It is unclear whether Israeli officials would see it that way.
The Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the occupied West Bank, recognizes Israel and cooperates with it on security issues, a policy that is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, many of whom see it as a service contractor. Israel says the authority has not done enough to counter the forces or stop the incitement.
The committee would assume its role after a cease-fire agreement with Israel, a senior Hamas official said. American and Arab negotiators spent nearly a year trying to broker such an agreement, but negotiations continued to stall.
Hamas started the war with its attack on October 7, 2023, in Israel, in which Palestinian fighters killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and looted about 250.
Israeli retaliation has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health officials, without specifying how many of the dead were soldiers. The offensive submerged much of the coast and displaced most of its 2.3 million inhabitants.
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Federman reported from Jerusalem.
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