The interview took place as Cairo hosted the first meeting of the Palestinian technocrat committee tasked with administering the Gaza Strip under the Gaza peace plan outlined by President Donald Trump and signed by mediators Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, and the US, during the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit on 13 October to end the Israeli genocidal war on the strip.
Shaath, 68, a Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister, will head the new technocratic committee set to administer the Gaza Strip, announced the mediating countries on Wednesday.
He was born in the southern city of Khan Younis in 1958, later leaving to study in Egypt.
He hails from a prominent family and clan with a record of political engagement, with many of its members affiliated with the Fatah party.
Shaath holds a PhD in Civil Engineering with a specialization in infrastructure and urban development from Queen’s University Belfast in the UK, as well as earlier degrees from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt.
He previously served as the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority’s deputy minister of planning and international cooperation, as well as undersecretary for the ministry of transportation and communications, among other portfolios.
Below is a transcript of what Shaath told the Cairo-based news outlet:
“The formation of the committee came in accordance with the Security Council resolution, President Trump's plan, and with the authorization of the Palestinian leadership.
“The Palestinian leadership wants the committee to be a link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to achieve the national dream.
“The committee is composed of 15 moderate, professional, and technically skilled Palestinian figures.
“Members of the Committee have a long history of development, relief, and humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip.
“I thank our sister nation Egypt, its president, government, and people, for their tremendous support.
“I thank Trump and his administration, and all the countries that assisted to the best of their ability.
“We look forward first and foremost to the Palestinian people and giving them hope after two years of war.
“Our goal in the coming days is to bring smiles to the faces of the children, women, and men of the Gaza Strip.
“After two years of war, Gazans need more than aid.
“Donor countries have provided financial support to the committee and set a two-year budget.
“The most important thing is to establish a fund at the World Bank for the reconstruction and relief of the Gaza Strip.
“The committee will work within the framework of the Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
“The Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip has been approved by the Arab League and other countries. Islamic and welcomed by the European Union
“The Egyptian reconstruction plan relies on relief, infrastructure, and housing aspects
“The housing file is very important after the destruction of more than 85% of homes
“The first step adopted by the committee was to supply 200,000 prefabricated housing units as soon as possible
“We decided to choose locations that allow for the provision of education, health, and security services next to the prefabricated housing
“Providing housing guarantees the dignity of the Palestinian citizen who is currently living in tents that are torn down by the wind.
“We will seek assistance from our Arab brothers, especially Egypt, in providing construction contractors to rebuild the Gaza Strip.
“The members of the committee, myself included, are technicians, and we are committed to building a Palestinian national economy.
“The members of the committee carry their homeland within them wherever they are, and Palestine lives in them.
“The occupation destroyed 38 hospitals during the war in the Gaza Strip.
“The committee members came in response to the suffering of children, bereaved women, the elderly, and the wounded.
“We thank our beloved Egypt for what it has provided and continues to provide to the Palestinians.
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