Gaza plan phase two: US to discuss Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal

Gaza plan phase two: US to discuss Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal The second phase of the ceasefire deal includes naming a panel of Palestinian technocrats to lead post-war Gaza. Hamas leaders and representatives of other Palestinian factions in Gaza are in the Egyptian capital Cairo for talks on the second phase of the United States-led Gaza ceasefire deal , amid a teetering ceasefire that Israel has repeatedly violated as its genocidal war continues. Deep uncertainty remains over the next steps involving the disarmament of Palestinian armed groups in the Strip, rebuilding and daily governance. An adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau told Al Jazeera on Thursday that discussions in Cairo are focusing on reopening the Rafah crossings, ensuring the entry of aid currently stockpiled on the Egyptian side of the border and securing an Israeli withdrawal . Taher al-Nunu said Hamas “must work with mediators and the international community to achieve calm and a return to normalcy in Gaza” and praised the “great efforts” being made to implement what was agreed upon. Al-Nunu also accused Israel of attempting to derail the ceasefire and said Hamas was “working with mediators to open the crossings, allow aid in and secure the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip”. However, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, known as Kan, reported that Israeli officials consider the so-called yellow line - a buffer zone in eastern Gaza - as a strategic area that will remain under Israeli control. Israel’s current military occupation of Gaza is more than 50 percent of the besieged enclave. The leaders of Palestinian armed groups were also scheduled to meet Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov, who will likely head the US-proposed Board of Peace. US President Donald Trump is expected to announce the names of about 15 world leaders who will become members of the transitional body in the coming days. Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed efforts to move ‌ahead with the Gaza plan and argued that institutions in Gaza should be linked to those run by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, “upholding the principle of one system, one law and one legitimate weapon”. In a joint statement, the other mediators of the ceasefire deal - Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar - called the announcement an “important development aimed at consolidating stability and improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip”. They welcomed the establishment of the Palestinian technocratic committee set to administer the Gaza Strip and said it would be led by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the PA. The technocratic committee will be tasked with providing public services to the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, but it faces towering challenges and unanswered questions, including about its operations and financing. The United Nations has estimated that reconstruction will cost more than $50bn. The process is expected to take years, and little money has been pledged so far. US announces Gaza plan’s second phase The US on Wednesday said it was...

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