Palestinian engineer Ali Shaath tapped to administer devastated Gaza

Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath will head the new technocratic committee set to administer the devastated Gaza Strip, mediating countries announced on Wednesday.

A seasoned civil servant largely unknown to the wider public, Shaath was born in the southern city of Khan Yunis in 1958, later leaving to study in Cairo, a family member told AFP.

He became a civil engineer, and previously served as the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority's deputy minister of planning and international cooperation, as well as undersecretary for the ministry of transportation and communications, among other portfolios.

In a technical and detail-oriented interview on Palestinian Basma Radio on Wednesday, Shaath spoke at length on rebuilding the Gaza Strip, ravaged by more than two years of war and intensive bombing.

"We are not talking about 'reconstruction' but construction anew," he said, highlighting the immediate need for shelter for Gaza's 2.2 million residents, almost all of whom have been displaced at least once during the war.

"We will set plans for water, well rehabilitation, water purification, and treated water -- water is the secret to health, education, hospitals, all of which were destroyed," he added.

On the question of the vast amounts of rubble left from Gaza's destroyed buildings, Shaath floated the idea of pushing it into the adjacent Mediterranean to reclaim land.

He told the broadcaster he had been contacted about the post by Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov.

Under US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan, Shaath's committee would operate under the supervision of a so-called "Board of Peace", expected to be led on the ground by Mladenov and chaired by Trump himself.

- 'Brains', not weapons -
Regarding his jurisdiction, Shaath said that under the terms of the US-brokered agreement, his committee would gradually take over 50 percent of Gazan territory currently under Israeli control, before expanding to cover the entirety of its area.

He added that security and coordination with armed groups were not part of the committee's mandate.

"The commission is not an army; it is 15 Palestinian experts in reconstruction, assisted by staff -- brains more than weapons," he said.

Gaza's technocratic committee will meet for the first time Thursday in Cairo, a Palestinian official told AFP.

Five members of the committee currently in the Gaza Strip will travel via the Rafah crossing to bordering Egypt for the meeting, another Palestinian official said.

Palestinian factions including PA president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party and its rival Hamas expressed their support for the committee's composition.

Hamas has said it does not seek a role in any future governing authority in Gaza, and would limit its role to a monitoring capacity.

One employee of an international organisation working in the Palestinian territories, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that given his relatively low profile Shaath "didn't strike me as an obvious choice".

Gaza governance body
A US-backed plan to end the war in Gaza was moving into its second phase, Washington's top negotiator said Wednesday, as Palestinian factions agreed on the make-up of a post-war governing committee.

President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on X that phase two of the US leader's 20-point plan would shift the Palestinian territory "from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction".

Phase one, launched in October, involved a ceasefire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, partial Israeli withdrawal and a surge of humanitarian aid.

Under the second phase, Gaza would be run by a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee supervised by a so-called "Board of Peace", to be chaired by Trump himself.

Egypt said all the members of the committee had been agreed upon by all Palestinian factions, which swiftly offered their support.

Ali Shaath, former Palestinian deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority, was named to lead the body, according to a joint statement by mediators Egypt, Turkey and Qatar.

The PA -- which is dominated by Fatah, Hamas's rival -- governs parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control.

The mediators did not disclose the remaining names.

Speaking at a press conference in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he hoped the committee would soon be deployed to Gaza to "manage daily life and essential services".

Palestinian factions, including Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad, said they would support the committee and would help create "the appropriate environment" for it to begin its work.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian presidency also announced its support, with a source from the office telling AFP the statement "reflects the position of the Fatah movement because President (Mahmud) Abbas is also the head of Fatah".

- Disarming -
Hamas has repeatedly said it does not seek a role in any future governing authority in the Palestinian territory, and would limit its role to monitoring governance to ensure stability and facilitate reconstruction.

A senior Hamas official, Taher al-Nunu, meanwhile, told AFP the group welcomed Witkoff's announcement, adding "the factions will make every effort to ensure the success of the committee's work".

Witkoff said that phase two aims for "the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel".

It remains unclear how Hamas, which has long resisted disarmament, would comply.

Witkoff said the United States expects the Palestinian group to fulfill its obligations, including the return of the last deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, held in Gaza.

"Failure to do so will bring serious consequences," he added.

Israel had earlier said it would not begin talks on the second phase of the ceasefire until Gvili is returned.

In a statement, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, together with Gvili's family, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to honour his commitment" not to proceed to phase two until Gvili is brought home.

Netanyahu said he had spoken with Gvili's parents and assured them the "move to establish a technocratic committee will not affect the efforts to return Ran", though he offered no assessment of the committee itself or the progression to phase two.

- Next steps -
Discussions in Cairo have also focused on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the reopening of the Rafah crossing, the entry of aid currently stockpiled on the Egyptian side of the border and preparations for launching the second phase of the ceasefire plan, a senior Hamas official told AFP.

The US-proposed Board of Peace is expected to be led on the ground by Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov, who has recently held talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Mladenov previously served as the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process from early 2015 until the end of 2020.

Media reports say Trump is expected to announce the members of the Board of Peace in the coming days, with the body set to include around 15 world leaders.