Gaza technocratic committee to meet in Cairo under US-backed post-war plan
Palestinian sources say the panel, tasked with running the war-ravaged enclave, is preparing its first session in Egypt as ceasefire talks and humanitarian pressures intensify.
Arrangements are under way for members of a technocratic committee designated to administer Gaza to travel to Egypt for their first meeting, expected on Thursday or Friday, a Palestinian source said.
The committee is part of a post-war governance plan proposed by US President Donald Trump following Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, which has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and injured over 171,000 since October 2023.
The source said on Wednesday that members have been formally notified of their appointments and will begin work in their respective portfolios once the panel convenes in Cairo.
The New York Times reported this week that Washington is close to announcing the committee’s formation, with former Palestinian deputy planning minister Ali Shaath expected to chair it.
Formation of the panel
The panel brings together academics, professionals and civil society figures selected for their technical expertise to manage Gaza’s most urgent sectors amid an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Israel destroyed roughly 90 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure during the war, with the UN estimating reconstruction costs at around $70 billion.
According to Palestinian and international media, Omar Shamaly, executive director of the Palestinian Telecommunications Company in Gaza, is expected to oversee telecommunications; Abdel Karim Ashour, head of the Agricultural Relief Association, agriculture; and Dr Aed Yaghi, head of the Medical Relief Association, health.
Other portfolios include economy and trade, education, finance, water and municipal services, social affairs, land administration and the judiciary.
Security responsibilities during a transitional phase aimed at restoring public order are expected to be handled by Mohammed Tawfiq Helles and Mohammed Nesman, media reports said.
No immediate official comment was issued by the Palestinian Authority, Egypt or the United States.
Efforts for normalisation amid fragile ceasefire
The committee’s launch comes as a fragile ceasefire, which took effect on October 10 2025, remains under strain.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli forces have killed 447 Palestinians and wounded 1,246 others since the truce began. Israel has also blocked the entry of agreed quantities of food, medicine and shelter materials, leaving some 2.4 million Palestinians in dire conditions.
Under Trump’s proposal, the technocratic body would operate under the oversight of a so-called “Peace Council” led by the US president and including international figures yet to be named.
The plan envisions a full ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas’ disarmament and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.
Separately, Hamas said a senior delegation led by Khalil al Hayya arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for talks on advancing the ceasefire, reopening the Rafah crossing and coordinating with other Palestinian factions on developments in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.