JAKARTA - Special envoy to the President of the United States Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, saying the focus would shift to demilitarization, technocratic government, and reconstruction.
"Phase Two forms a Palestinian technocratic transitional government in Gaza, the National Committee for Gaza Administration (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, especially the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel," tweeted Steve Witkoff in a statement on the social media platform X, reported by Anadolu (15/1).
Further, Witkoff said the US expects the Palestinian group Hamas to fully comply with its obligations under the agreement, including "the immediate return of the last remaining hostages."
"Failure to do so will have serious consequences," Witkoff said.
Witkoff also thanked Turkey, Egypt and Qatar "for their very important mediation efforts that have enabled all the progress to date."
Separately, Palestinian groups on Wednesday morning expressed support for the establishment of a transitional administrative body for Gaza, urging quick steps so that the body can immediately take over governance responsibilities in the region.
The stance was announced in a joint statement after a meeting in Cairo held at the invitation of Egypt and under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Egypt's state news agency, Al-Qahera News.
According to the statement, the groups stressed the need to create the appropriate conditions for the transitional body to immediately take full responsibility for managing daily life in Gaza, including essential public services.
They said the body would work with a "peace council" and its executive committee, which is expected to oversee the approval and implementation of the Gaza reconstruction process.
Separately, the Palestinian media WAFA reported Wednesday, the death toll from Israeli aggression in October 2023 has reached 71,439 people, while the number of injured reached 171,324 people.
Medical sources said that since the October 10 ceasefire agreement, Palestinian casualties have reached 449, 1,246 people have been injured and 710 bodies have been found. Israel is known to continue to attack Gaza during the ceasefire, claiming to target Palestinian militant groups.
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