Egypt hosts Hamas-Fatah meeting to form joint committee to run post-war Gaza

By Ibrahim Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – Rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah held a meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday to discuss the formation of a joint committee to run the Gaza Strip after Israel’s ongoing war on the enclave, an Egyptian source said.

"The two groups showed flexibility and positivity towards establishing a community support committee to manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip,” the state-affiliated Al-Qahera News channel quoted the source as saying.

"The community support committee is affiliated with the Palestinian Authority and includes independent figures,” he added.

The Egyptian source said Saturday’s meeting between the two groups was “part of efforts not to separate the West Bank from Gaza.”

He said the committee will be formed by a presidential decree from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to run the affairs of the Gaza Strip.

There was no Palestinian comment on the report.

Despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group.

More than 43,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the territory’s entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala