Leaders of Palestinian opposition groups Fatah and Hamas have met in Cairo to discuss establishing a committee to manage Gaza’s post-war governance, Egyptian security sources said on Egypt’s Al-Qahera news television on Saturday.
The talks are part of Egypt’s broader mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas and expand humanitarian access to the enclave.
Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction leaders met in Cairo last month to discuss forming a commission based on a proposal presented by Egypt, sources close to the talks told Reuters. The meeting was postponed to a later date.
The committee, made up of independent Palestinians not aligned with any particular movement, will tackle the question of who will govern Gaza after the year-long war ends, sources said.
Israel rejects any role for Hamas in Gaza after the war ends, and says it does not trust rival Palestinian Authority Abbas to run the enclave.
Ceasefire negotiations continue
Mediation countries such as Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, have so far helped end the Gaza war, freeing Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas and thousands of Palestinians held by Israel. It has failed to secure a ceasefire agreement that would facilitate the liberation of people.
Hamas is pressing for an end to hostilities, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war will continue until Hamas is dismantled.
Hamas political official Izzat al-Rishek dismissed the idea of a limited or temporary ceasefire as a “smokescreen.”
“We actively accept all proposals and ideas that will ensure the end of the invasion and the withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza,” al-Rishek said in a statement.
The conflict continues to take a heavy humanitarian toll, with medical officials reporting that an Israeli airstrike on the Buraij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip killed five Palestinians on Saturday.
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The Palestinian Health Authority said at least 60 people have been killed in Israeli military attacks across the Gaza Strip since Friday.
The war broke out after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, leaving around 1,200 people dead and 251 hostages taken back to Gaza.
