A top Hamas leader said Tuesday that the terror group and the Palestinian Authority have come to an agreement regarding the establishment of a temporary committee that will manage the Gaza Strip on behalf of the PA.

The committee’s responsibilities will include overseeing the border crossings and the security forces in the Strip, Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera, adding that it will be headed by a PA minister.

Abu Marzouk didn’t clarify during the interview whether this decision was approved by the US as well as the PA, meaning it was unclear whether there is any weight to the agreement.

In recent weeks, Hamas has refrained from publicly addressing the composition of the committee that will oversee Gaza’s civilian affairs, in line with the White House’s plan to end the war in Gaza.

According to Arabic media reports, one of the proposed candidates to head the committee is Palestinian Authority Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan. However, there were reports that Israel has rejected his candidacy.

Abu Marzouk said that Israel was still refusing to allow UN forces to operate in areas currently under its control in the Strip, something he stated contradicts the draft proposal the United States submitted to the UN Security Council, which centers on the deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza.

He clarified that disagreements remain over the operational details of the international force — such as where it would operate and what its mandate would be — and said that “a long discussion is still required on this matter.”

Avoiding a definitive answer on whether Hamas will disarm as required by US President Donald Trump’s broad Gaza peace plan, Abu Marzouk said that “Hamas is the force that........

© The Times of Israel