Hamas in Cairo to discuss Gaza post-war committee

A senior Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to begin a new round of talks on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, on which progress has been slow.

The delegation is headed by Hamas' Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya, who survived an Israeli strike on Qatar in September last year.

The discussions are expected to focus on forming a 15-member independent Gaza Administrative Committee drawn from Palestinian figures in the war-torn territory.

The committee would manage the enclave and prepare it for an arduous, years-long reconstruction process. There are meetings with faction leaders in Cairo to reach consensus on its formation.

An Egyptian source told The New Arab’s sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that the delegation will meet on Sunday with Major General Hassan Rashad, head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip.

According to Times of Israel (TOI) newspaper, US President Donald Trump plans to announce the second phase of his 20-point peace plan for Gaza despite Israeli reservations, with a large focus on reconstruction and disarmament arrangements, though implementation has been delayed.

The first phase saw Hamas release all living captives and all but one deceased captive who the group says it is still searching for amid the Gaza rubble. Israel in return has released thousands of Palestinian detainees, but has not fulfilled its commitments on humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

The second phase should see an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the formation of an interim government and local security force, and the deployment of an international peacekeeping mission.

Disarming Hamas and other militant groups is also part of the Trump plan.

While the Trump administration told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week that it is committed to returning the last captive’s remains and disarming Hamas, it is unwilling to link the start of phase two of the plan to either condition, a source told TOI.

Israel has insisted it will not proceed with phase two until Hamas returns the captive’s remains and fully disarms.

Hamas has pledged to facilitate the work of the independent Gaza Administrative Committee but stated that it will not be part of it itself. The group said it is waiting for the formation of the committee, which has been agreed upon by Hamas and other factions.

Israel and the US have refused any future role for Hamas in governing Gaza.

More than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza since 7 October 2023. According to the Gaza health ministry, most of the casualties are civilians.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to carry out near-daily strikes, shelling, and gunfire in the enclave. Its military occupies more than half of the territory, with the "Yellow Line" acting as a temporary redeployment line under the ceasefire plan.