Gaza Management Committee Close to Entering the Sector to Take Over Its Duties

SadaNews - Officials in the National Committee for the Management of Gaza said on Wednesday that the committee is awaiting its entry into the Gaza Strip.

According to one official from the committee who spoke to Agence France-Presse, the committee is still waiting for Israeli approval for the return of committee head Ali Shath and its members to Gaza to assume their governmental roles and to immediately implement the relief and recovery plan.

According to the same official, the UN Special Coordinator Nikolai Mladenov informed Shath that he continues to work with support from the council to expedite the committee's return and anticipated operations starting in May.

Meanwhile, another official, a committee member, stated that Mladenov recently notified Shath of a preliminary Israeli approval for the committee's arrival in Gaza, but they are awaiting an agreement between Hamas and Israel regarding the completion of the ceasefire agreement.

The official confirmed that consultations with Mladenov and intermediaries are ongoing, and that the committee is ready to return to Gaza immediately.

He pointed out that the committee requested that the Peace Council provide a secure working environment, ensure a complete halt to violations, provide 3,500 caravans (ready-made homes), and supply the necessary funds to implement the relief and recovery plan and to begin the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

There are communications for a meeting between representatives of Hamas and Mladenov in Cairo today or tomorrow.

According to an informed source from Hamas, new talks will be held between Hamas and the factions with intermediaries in the coming days in Cairo to continue discussing the plan presented by the Peace Council last month.

Regarding Hamas, it continues to study the proposed plan.

Hamas's position is that it will not agree to discussions regarding resistance weapons before the occupation implements the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and guarantees Israel's compliance with the agreements.

Intermediaries in Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey are continuing communications to implement the ceasefire agreement and move to the second phase, as well as working to expedite the National Committee's assumption of duties in Gaza and the deployment of international forces to maintain stability.