US GAZA PLANS TAKE SHAPE

TRUMP-BACKED PALESTINIAN ALI SHAATH WANTS TO PUSH WAR RUBBLE INTO MEDITERRANEAN SEA

- STORY: RAMI AYYUB / REUTERS

Ali Shaath, head of the Palestinian technocratic committee for managing the Gaza Strip, offers condolences to a Palestinian family, in Cairo on Thursday.

(AFP)

Ali Shaath, the Palestinian former government official chosen to administer Gaza under a US-backed deal, has an ambitious plan that includes pushing war debris into the Mediterranean Sea and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure within three years.

The appointment of the civil engineer and former deputy planning minister last Thursday marked the start of the next phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end Israel's war in Gaza.

Mr Shaath will chair a group of 15 Palestinian technocrats who will govern the Palestinian enclave after years of rule by Hamas militants.

Under Mr Trump's plan, Israel has withdrawn from nearly half of Gaza but its troops remain in control of the other half, a wasteland where nearly all buildings have been destroyed. Mr Trump has floated turning Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East".

Mr Shaath will face the uncertain task of rebuilding the territory's shattered infrastructure and clearing an estimated 68 million tonnes of rubble and unexploded ordnance even as Israel and Hamas continue to trade fire.