A Palestinian businessman is being discussed as a possible governor of the Gaza Strip in the post-war period, DPA reported, quoted by BTA, citing information from an Israeli newspaper.
An initiative is raising businessman Samir Khulileh as a potential governor of the post-war Gaza Strip, the "Yediot Ahronot" newspaper reported. Khulileh will operate under the auspices of the Arab League and is considered acceptable to both Israel and the United States, the publication said.
The goal is to prepare the transition to a new administration of the coastal enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that one of the conditions for ending the war is the establishment of a civilian government with a peaceful attitude towards Israel without the participation of the radical Palestinian group "Hamas" or the Palestinian Authority (PA). Khulileh lives in Ramallah and is a well-known economist and political and economic leader in the Palestinian Authority, reports Yedioth Ahronoth.
He has held several high-ranking positions and is considered a close confidant of American-Palestinian billionaire Bashar al-Masri, who is known for his good contacts with the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Khulileh told Palestinian radio station Ajial that he was ready to take responsibility for Gaza. However, he will not do so without the consent of the Palestinian Authority, DPA specifies.
Given that Israel rejects any role for the PA in the future governance of the strip, the parties involved will have to be "creative" to find a solution, he said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelati said last night that Egypt is working with Qatar and the United States for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as part of efforts to end the war between Israel and the radical Palestinian group "Hamas", which broke out on October 7, 2023, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
Cairo, along with Doha and Washington, has accepted the role of mediator between the warring parties, AFP notes.
The war in Gaza was triggered by the unprecedented cross-border attack by "Hamas" against Israeli territory. According to Israeli data, about 1,200 people were killed at that time, and 252 hostages were taken captive by the radical Islamists. According to the "Hamas" Health Ministry, the subsequent Israeli offensive in the coastal enclave caused the deaths of over 61,000 Palestinians.
"We are working hard in full coordination with the Qataris and the Americans," Abdelati said at a press conference last night.
"The main goal is to return to the original proposal: establishing a 60-day ceasefire, releasing a certain number of Palestinian prisoners from Israel, as well as unconditional and unlimited delivery of humanitarian aid and medicine to the people of Gaza," he specified.
"We are talking to "Hamas" and the Israelis, we are working to reach an agreement", based on the latest US proposal, the Egyptian minister added.
After two weeks of discussions, the talks in the Qatari capital Doha collapsed last month - differences were never ironed out to reach a ceasefire and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by "Hamas", AFP points out. The delegation of the radical Palestinian group left a few days after the withdrawal of the US and Israeli envoys.
The White House's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, then blamed the collapse of the talks on "Hamas", claiming that Washington was willing to discuss "other options" in the absence of an agreement, AFP points out.