Key Highlights
- By Taylor Luck Special correspondent Ghada Abdulfattah Special contributor Jan.
- 15, 2026, 3:58 p. m.
- ET | Amman, Jordan; and Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip A freshly-formed committee of Palestinian technocrats tasked with governing the Gaza Strip met for the first time in Cairo on Thursday, moving forward a fraying peace process and providing hope for a postwar Gaza. The committee, comprising apolitical Palestinians with experience ranging from the humanitarian sector to commerce, is headed by Ali Shaath.
- The veteran civil servant from Gaza served as deputy minister of planning and international cooperation in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA). Establishment of the committee, which is to take over governing Gaza from the militant group Hamas, is seen as a critical step in advancing the moribund Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, facilitating both an Israeli withdrawal and the beginning of reconstruction.
- Why We Wrote This Formation of the apolitical Palestinian committee, which met for the first time in Cairo, follows months of low-level conflict and unfulfilled pledges that have threatened the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
