The president of Palestine, Mahmud Abbas, declared Tuesday that the post-war plan announced by Arab leaders would return authority of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
At an Arab League summit in Cairo, Abbas stated in his opening statement that his government could “assume its duties in the Gaza Strip through its governmental institutions, and a working committee has been formed for this purpose.”
The post-war plan called for the security apparatus of the Palestinian Authority to “take on its responsibilities after restructuring and unifying the cadres present in the Gaza Strip and training them in Egypt and Jordan.”
The Islamist militant organisation Hamas has been in charge of the Gaza Strip since it overthrew the PA in 2007 after being prevented from using actual authority despite winning a legislative election the year before.
On Tuesday, Arab leaders convened in Cairo to discuss a reconstruction plan for Gaza in response to US President Donald Trump’s ambition to annex the region and establish it as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt, stated in his opening remarks that a committee under the PA would oversee Gaza as part of his government’s post-war rehabilitation plan.

“Egypt, in cooperation with its brothers in Palestine, worked to form an administrative committee of independent Palestinian professionals and technocrats entrusted with managing the Gaza Strip based on the expertise of its members,” Sisi said.
Sisi added that the plan proposed by Egypt would ensure that “the Palestinian people remain on their land.”
– Lasting peace –
The committee would oversee the region for a six-month transitional period before the PA regains all authority, citing a draft of the Egyptian plan that the AFP obtained.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his support for Trump’s plan, calling it “visionary and innovative,” ahead of the Arab League gathering.
The historic 1979 peace deal between Egypt and Israel, which was mediated by the United States, was brought up by Sisi during his summit speech. He claimed that it had changed “enmity, war, and the desire for revenge into lasting peace and reciprocal diplomatic relations.”
“Now is the moment to embrace and begin a serious and successful political process that results in a fair and long-lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue… “I have faith that President Trump can accomplish that,” he added.
During the summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that he firmly supported the “Arab-led initiative” to rebuild Gaza, but Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the head of the Arab League, cautioned that forcing Palestinians to relocate would cause “more tension” in the area.
Hamas’ October 7, 2023, strike on Israel set off the war in Gaza, and the ensuing retaliatory offensive left the area mostly in ruins and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.