The Palestinian president once again calls for an “immediate ceasefire and Israel’s complete withdrawal” from the besieged area.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in his first statement since announcing the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, said the Palestinian Authority (PA) is ready to take “full responsibility” for the post-war Gaza Strip.
“The Palestinian Authority, in accordance with the instructions of President Abbas, has completed all preparations to assume full responsibility in the Gaza Strip,” a presidential statement on Friday said.
This includes returning displaced people, providing basic services, controlling borders and rebuilding war-torn territories.
In the statement, published by the Palestinian Wafa news agency, the Abbas administration reiterated “the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s complete withdrawal.”
Hamas has exercised full control in the Gaza Strip since 2007, while the Fatah movement-controlled PA runs the Israeli military-occupied West Bank.
Currently, Israel has no definitive position on post-war governance other than rejecting the role of both Hamas and the PA.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly opposed Hamas and the PA that governs the Palestinian territories, calling either scenario a “reward” for the October 7, 2023 attacks.
But outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the PA should run coastal areas.
Palestinian sectarian leaders have long said Gaza’s future is theirs to decide and rejects any outside interference.
On Friday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said government agencies were ready to step up efforts in the Gaza Strip and restore basic services, while urging the European Union to send observers to the Rafah border. It called for repositioning at checkpoints and helping facilitate entry into the Gaza Strip. assistance.
“Palestinian ministers have clear instructions on what to do from the moment the ceasefire begins. We have a 100-day plan for the next day,” Berga news agency quoted Mustafa as saying during a visit to Brussels. I was told that he said that.
