U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was backing the newly appointed "Palestinian Technocratic Government" in Gaza where Washington has announced the launch of a second phase in a ceasefire that went into effect in October but remains fragile.
Gaza City © Mena Today
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was backing the newly appointed "Palestinian Technocratic Government" in Gaza where Washington has announced the launch of a second phase in a ceasefire that went into effect in October but remains fragile.
"I am backing a newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the Board's High Representative, to govern Gaza during its transition," Trump said on social media.
Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas signed off in October on Trump's plan, which says the Palestinian technocratic body will be overseen by an international so-called "Board of Peace" that is meant to supervise Gaza's governance for a transitional period.
In another post, Trump said the "Board of Peace," of which Trump himself is the chair, was formed and its members would be announced shortly.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations in Gaza where since the start of the truce in October over 440 Palestinians, including more than 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed.
The ceasefire has also been tested by the failure to retrieve the remains of one last Israeli hostage, Israeli delays in reopening Gaza's border crossing with Egypt, and Hamas' refusal so far to disarm.
By pressing on with the second phase of the ceasefire, Washington and its mediator partners will need to tackle the vexing challenges of disarming Hamas, further Israeli withdrawal tied to the disarmament and deploying an international peacekeeping force.
The Palestinian technocratic body will have 15 members and will be led by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority who had been in charge of developing industrial zones, according to a statement by mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
"These Palestinian leaders are unwaveringly committed to a PEACEFUL future," Trump said. Many experts say Trump being chair of the board meant to supervise Gaza's governance resembled a colonial structure.
He also said Egypt, Qatar and Turkey will help to secure what he called a "comprehensive demilitarization agreement" with Hamas.
Qatar, like Turkey, has supported Hamas for many years.
By Kanishka Singh
Iran has warned the United States that it would respond forcefully to an Israeli offensive on a mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon where Iranian military personnel are holed up alongside Hezbollah fighters, three officials briefed on the message told Reuters.
NATO member Turkey would consider taking its relations with the China and Russia-led security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, to a higher level, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
The U.S. and Iran found themselves back in a war footing on Wednesday after the most significant exchange in weeks, with Washington threatening even more devastating strikes while Iran protested an attack that it said killed five and wounded dozens of civilians at a wedding.
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