PA aims for post-war comeback

The Palestinian Authority (PA) expects a significant role in postwar Gaza, even though President Donald Trump’s plan sidelines it for now, and is banking on Arab support to secure its position despite Israeli objections, Palestinian officials say.

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Gaza’s future governance has moved into focus with a ceasefire due to begin Thursday, the first step in Trump’s bid to end two years of war. The next phase of the deal must tackle thorny issues, including demands that Islamist militant group Hamas disarm and end its rule in Gaza, from where it launched the October 7 attacks on Israel that ignited the war. Hamas seized control of the coastal enclave from Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

Trump's proposal foresees an internationally supervised technocratic Palestinian committee taking over Gaza after the war. It requires the PA, which is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to enact reforms before it can assume power.