Palestinian tribes say they won’t be alternative to Gaza political regime

By Anadolu staff

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – A coalition of Palestinian tribes said Sunday they will not be an alternative to any Palestinian political regime in the Gaza Strip.

“National unity is the only way to preserve the existence of the Palestinian people and the homeland,” the coalition said in a statement.

It reiterated support for the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation.

“The tribes are part of Palestinian national components against the Israeli occupation,” the coalition said, rejecting any plans to create tribal groups to cooperate with the Israeli occupation.

Israel has been seeking to create an administration to replace the ruling Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv has opposed calls for allowing the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to run the enclave following its deadly war on Gaza.

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s government media office, said international parties had held 12 meetings with Palestinian tribal chieftains as part of their efforts to create a new administration to run the Gaza Strip.

“All tribes rejected all Israeli occupation plots to undermine the Palestinian home front,” he added in a statement.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which some 1,200 people were killed.

More than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 72,600 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi