Hamas, Fatah near agreement on governance of post-war Gaza: Report
Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas are closing in on an agreement that would see a committee of politically independent experts appointed to administer Gaza after the war, the Associated Press (AP) reports, citing Palestinian officials.
An unnamed Palestinian Authority officials confirmed on Tuesday that a preliminary agreement had been reached following weeks of negotiations between the two groups in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
The committee would have 12 to 15 members, most of them would be from Gaza, the officials said, in a deal that could effectively end Hamas’s governing of Gaza and could help advance ceasefire talks with Israel.
The proposed body would report to the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority, headquartered in the occupied West Bank, and work with local and international parties on humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.
Details around the terms of the agreement are still being hashed out between Fatah and Hamas, officials told AP, and the deal will be announced after another meeting of the groups in Cairo.
Fatah and Hamas have made several failed attempts to reconcile since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. No timeline for the announcement has been given. Israel has yet to comment, but it has previously ruled out any post-war role in Gaza for either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
US opposes construction of permanent Israeli military bases in Gaza
Washington has expressed opposition to any permanent Israeli military bases being established in Gaza, after The New York Times claimed Israel has fortified military structures and demolished Palestinian buildings around the Netzarim Corridor.
Quoting Israeli officials and using satellite images of the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects the enclave north from south, The Times suggests Israeli forces “may be preparing to exert long-term control over the area”.
“Over the past three months, soldiers have demolished more than 600 buildings around the road in an apparent attempt to create a buffer zone. They have also rapidly expanded a network of outposts equipped with communications towers and defensive fortifications,” the report said.
In response, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday that if the reporting is accurate, the Israeli military’s actions “certainly would be inconsistent” with US policy regarding the “day after” in Gaza.
The Biden administration opposes any reduction in Gaza’s territory, the forced displacement of Palestinians, and any long-term Israeli occupation of the coastal enclave.
Netanyahu is banking on Trump giving the green light to colonize Gaza :/
