Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
An Israeli media report has suggested that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have reached a preliminary understanding to appoint Amgad al-Shawa as head of the interim Administrative Committee that would govern the Gaza Strip once the war ends. However, Palestinian officials have since denied that any such agreement has been finalized, describing the claims as premature and exaggerated.
According to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority view al-Shawa, who heads the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, as a suitable and broadly acceptable candidate to oversee the civilian administration of Gaza during the transitional phase. The report added that the United States has informed Egypt that it is considering approval of the appointment, viewing al-Shawa as an independent civilian figure with credibility among international actors.
Speaking to local media, al-Shawa said he would be willing to assume the position if a genuine national consensus is reached. “This technocratic committee must be based on Palestinian, Arab, and international agreement,” he said, emphasizing that Gaza remains “an integral part of the Palestinian homeland” and that any administrative body should work in coordination with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
However, Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and former minister of social affairs, rejected the notion of an agreement. “There is no official consensus between Fatah and Hamas on appointing Amjad al-Shawa,” he sadi, dismissing the reports as “Hamas media leaks.” Majdalani stressed that the PLO insists the head of the committee should be a sitting minister in the Palestinian government, ensuring a direct political and administrative link between Gaza and the West Bank, in line with understandings reached before the Arab League summit in Cairo last March.
Political analyst Fayez Abbas described al-Shawa as a respected civil society figure widely accepted across Palestinian factions and among the public in Gaza. Still, he noted that the success of any transitional body will depend heavily on international donor cooperation and the extent of authority granted to its members.
Dr. Ahmad Rafiq Awad, director of the Jerusalem Center for Studies, echoed the skepticism, saying that “no genuine agreement yet exists between Fatah and Hamas” regarding al-Shawa’s appointment. He added that while al-Shawa’s name is under consideration, “Fatah has clearly stated it prefers a government minister to lead the committee, to maintain direct coordination between Gaza and the West Bank and to reinforce the principle of one unified government.”
Awad warned that appointing a figure from outside the official government structure could deepen Palestinian division and risk transforming Gaza into a semi-independent entity. “The idea of an imminent agreement is overly optimistic,” he said, adding that managing Gaza after the war will be extremely complex given the competing interests of multiple factions and external actors.
“Israel remains a key obstacle,” Awad noted. “It has no interest in seeing stability in Gaza and seeks to maintain a degree of chaos and instability.” He also questioned whether the committee would have sufficient protection, funding, and legal legitimacy, especially in light of the devastation the Strip has endured.
Dr. Ayman al-Raqab, a political science professor at Al-Quds University, said that a broad meeting of Palestinian factions including Fatah, is expected early next month and could result in a formal announcement of the committee. He confirmed that several names have circulated as potential members, though nothing is finalized. One of the proposed conditions, he said, is that all members must be permanent residents of Gaza who experienced the recent war firsthand, a requirement that could disqualify several figures who have been living outside the Strip for years.
“The transition to the next phase requires broad Palestinian consensus,” al-Raqab concluded, “but every step will still need implicit approval from Israel and coordination with the United States, given the complex political and security realities in Gaza.”
