Hamas and Fatah agree on joint committee for post-genocide Gaza administration

Hamas and Fatah have agreed to establish a joint committee to administer post-genocide Gaza, according to negotiators from both Palestinian factions following talks in Cairo. The agreement comes amid intense speculation about Gaza’s future and mounting concerns about the territory’s reconstruction, which experts estimate could cost up to $200 billion.

READ: FACTBOX — Gaza’s huge reconstruction challenge: key facts and figures

The proposed committee, requiring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s approval, would be comprised of 10 to 15 non-partisan figures overseeing crucial sectors. The committee would manage the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, Gaza’s only exit point not normally controlled by Israel.

According to The New Arab, Abbas is set to issue a decree formally establishing the Community Support Committee (CSC), which will operate under the Palestinian government and address financial, administrative and legal matters.

The two-page document outlining the CSC sees the council as “administering the Gaza Strip, reporting to the Palestinian government and being responsible for all sectors including health, education, the economy, agriculture, public services and vital facilities such as humanitarian aid and reconstruction.”

Fatah’s delegation, led by central party committee member Azzam Al-Ahmad, has returned to Ramallah seeking Abbas’s final approval, while the Hamas delegation was headed by political bureau member Khalil Al-Hayya. This rare cooperation between the rival factions comes after their bitter 2007 split, when Hamas took control of Gaza following the movement’s 2006 election victory.

The agreement faces significant challenges, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government firmly opposing any Hamas presence and Palestinian Authority involvement in post-war Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers have expressed their intentions to build illegal settlements in northern Gaza, raising further concerns about the occupied Palestinian territory’s future. All of Israel’s settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law.

READ: ‘Gaza is ours, forever’ – Israel’s extremists have a plan for the day after the genocide

The scale of reconstruction needed is staggering, with Israeli experts estimating costs between $100-200bn, representing up to 1,150% of the entire Palestinian economy. As the occupying power, Israel bears responsibility for Gaza’s reconstruction under international law, yet the extent of destruction raises questions about the territory’s future viability. Analysts have long warned that Israel’s aim is to make Gaza uninhabitable.

The development comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration prepares to transfer power to president-elect Donald Trump, with Palestinians facing intense US pressure to ensure that Hamas has no role in Gaza’s future administration.