°®Âþµº

Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have agreed to create a joint committee to oversee the administration of Gaza, following meetings with intelligence officials and mediators in Cairo on Sunday and Monday.

The decision was based on an Egyptian proposal that envisions the joint committee coordinating vital humanitarian aid, reconstruction efforts, and operating the Rafah border crossing, where cameras will be installed, between Gaza and Egypt.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is set to issue a decree formally establishing the Community Support Committee (CSC), which will operate under the Palestinian government and address financial, administrative, and legal matters.

The two-page document outlining the CSC sees the council as "administering the Gaza Strip, reporting to the Palestinian government and be responsible for all areas including health, education, economy, agriculture, services and vital facilities such as relief work and reconstruction", according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, °®Âþµºâ€™s Arabic language sister publication.

It also emphasises the need for maintaining communication between the Palestinian government in the occupied West Bank and the committee in Gaza.

Another stipulation was that it should follow the Palestinian political system in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem, and stressed that the formation of the council should not lead to the separation of Gaza from the rest of the Palestinian territories.

A fund for the reconstruction of Gaza will also be created, which would be supervised by donor countries alongside a representative from the Palestinian ministry of finance and an assistant from the CSC.

Haaretz reported on Monday that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has an arrest warrant against him for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, have consistently opposed any involvement from the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government will respond to the agreement within 24 hours if there are any objections to the plan, but it has rejected any future role for Hamas in Gaza, which administered the enclave up until the Israeli invasion.

This comes a day after a Hamas official who was present at the meetings in Cairo told AFP: "Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are making great efforts to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.

"Our Palestinian people are waiting for American and international pressure on (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu to stop the war and reach an agreement as happened in Lebanon."

Negotiators agreed that if a deal was struck, it could mean that the Rafah crossing may be opened by late December, paving the way for increased aid to the Gaza, Arabi21 has reported.

Israeli strikes in Gaza

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed at least eight Palestinians in Monday morning in Beit Lahia, while dozens more are trapped under the rubble in Gaza City.

In northern Gaza, the Israeli army destroyed a four-storey building with civil defence crews struggling to retrieve the bodies of civilians.

There are also new fears of famine in Gaza with the UN warning that "food availability is at an all-time low across the entire Gaza Strip", due to the Israeli blockade, airstrikes on humanitarian workers and infrastructure, and a breakdown in order.

As of Monday, at least 341 aid workers in Gaza have been killed since 7 October 2023, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN secretary general said, citing figures from the UN.

"Our humanitarian partners are also warning that local food systems have been devastated by military ground operations, the bombardment of civilian areas and the presence of unexploded ordnance," he said, highlighting dwindling food aid in the Strip.

Earlier this week, the Israeli army killed the founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen, Mahmoud Al-Mahdoun, who would cook and distribute meals to starving people.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 44,466 Palestinians and wounded 105,358 others since 7 October 2023. The incessant Israeli bombardment has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.