Fatah demands a PA-led Gaza administrative committee amid fragile truce

The Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) said on Monday that any committee formed to govern the Gaza Strip must be headed by a minister from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Fatah spokesperson Munther al-Hayek said in a statement that the proposed administrative body must derive its legitimacy from the Ramallah-based PA, warning that Hamas's refusal to cooperate could deepen the political and geographic divide between Gaza and the West Bank.

"The Palestinian people are facing a dangerous phase that requires a legitimate political system recognised internationally in order to mobilise global support for relief and reconstruction," al-Hayek said.

Fatah's demands followed an announcement by Hamas on Saturday that it would dissolve its existing governing bodies in Gaza, describing the move as a step toward forming an independent administrative committee under a broader framework for post-October 2025 ceasefire governance.

Hamas said on Monday it had submitted a list of 40 candidates to Egyptian authorities to be considered for a technocratic committee to administer the Gaza Strip.

Senior Hamas official Mohammad Nazzal said the proposal had drawn objections from both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the PA. He accused Netanyahu of seeking to undermine the ceasefire agreement and escalate regional tensions to deflect from domestic political pressures.

Hamas, which has controlled Gaza's internal institutions since its 2007 split with Fatah, has urged the PA to pursue "national consensus." While the PA is internationally recognized as the representative of the Palestinian people, its practical influence in Gaza has been minimal for nearly two decades.

Also on Monday, an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia said it had killed a senior Hamas police officer in the southern Gaza Strip, an incident which Hamas blamed on "Israeli collaborators."

A statement from the Hamas-run interior ministry said gunmen opened fire from a passing car, killing Mahmoud Al-Astal, head of the criminal police unit in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave.

Under the terms of the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Gaza is to be administered by a transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by an international "Board of Peace." The agreement stipulates that Hamas must disarm and have no future role in the territory's formal governance.

Under the ceasefire, Israel has withdrawn from nearly half of the Gaza Strip, but its troops remain in control of the other half, largely a wasteland where virtually all buildings have been leveled.

Nearly all of the territory's 2 million people now live in Hamas-held areas, mostly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings, where the group has been reasserting its grip. Four Hamas sources said it continues to command thousands of fighters despite suffering heavy losses during the war.

Israel has been allowing rivals of Hamas to operate in areas it controls. In later phases, U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza calls for Israel to withdraw further and for Hamas to yield power to an internationally backed administration, but there has so far been no progress towards those steps.

Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli backing for anti-Hamas groups in June, saying Israel had "activated" clans, but has given few details since then.

The October ceasefire has ended major combat in Gaza over the past three months, but both sides have accused the other of regular violations. More than 440 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the truce took effect.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)