Palestinian factions expected to finalize Gaza committee in Cairo this week
Representatives from Palestinian factions and the Palestinian Authority will meet in the Egyptian capital this week to agree on a final list of candidates for an independent committee that will run Gaza's day-to-day affairs, sources in Cairo directly familiar with the discussions told The National on Sunday.
Egyptian mediators are coordinating consultations among the factions, whose representatives are also in contact with mediators from Turkey and Qatar, the sources said.
They said representatives of the factions held separate one-on-one talks with the Egyptians in Cairo last week.
The sources said Israel objected to four potential candidates for the committee on the grounds that they had ties to Hamas, and also wanted the committee to consist of 12 members, not 15 as previously suggested by the mediators.
Palestinian factions have agreed to Israel's demands regarding the number of committee members, they added.
"Because the Palestinian Authority is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinians, they are required to issue a law that establishes the committee and approves its members," said one of the sources, quoted by The National (12/1).
"The factions and mediators agreed that the committee should have a three-year mandate clearly stipulated in the relevant law to be issued by the Palestinian Authority," he added.
The sources said President Trump is expected to announce the formation of the Peace Council this weekend. Initially, the council will include the heads of state of Egypt and Qatar as well as representatives from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, they said.
Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov has been identified as the council's chief executive ahead of an expected announcement from President Trump, according to Bloomberg.
The council's headquarters are expected to be in the city of El Arish in the north of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, although there has been no final decision on that, the sources said.
The Mediterranean city, which has an international airport and a commercial port, is located about 40 km from the Rafah crossing.
The formation of this "technocratic and apolitical" committee is a central part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, along with the formation of a UN-sanctioned International Stabilization Force to be stationed in Gaza and a Peace Council, possibly led by Trump, to oversee the region's future, including reconstruction.
Other elements include the issue of Hamas disarmament and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.
The first phase began with a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, ending a two-year war in Gaza that killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and destroyed most of the small territory.
The ceasefire includes the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, as well as increased humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.
The ceasefire has proved fragile with Israel having killed more than 400 Palestinians since the truce came into effect, while militants are accused of being responsible for the deaths of three Israeli soldiers.
President Trump himself said many countries had agreed to participate in the stabilization force that would maintain security in Gaza, but did not mention the names of the countries.
On the other hand, Israel opposes Turkey's participation because of what they consider to be the hostile attitude of the Muslim majority NATO member state since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023.
Egypt, a US ally that borders Israel and Gaza and has close ties with Ankara, is known to support Turkey's participation.
The United States is believed to be trying to persuade Israel to accept Turkish participation in the proposed force, according to the sources.