Speaking to Al-Qahera News, Shaath also thanked the mediating countries and US President Donald Trump for their efforts, emphasizing that the committee’s formation had a significant impact on the Palestinian people, who looked forward to its establishment to reduce the hardships they suffer.
He noted that the formation of the committee is based on international frameworks, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2803, as well as Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
The committee is also based on a national consensus among the Palestinian leadership, which envisioned the committee as a bridge between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Palestinian leadership, Shaath noted, considers such a step crucial towards achieving the national aspiration of establishing an independent state, following the committee's two-year mandate in managing the transitional phase in Gaza.
Committee structure and objectives
According to Shaath, the committee is composed of 15 prominent Palestinian figures recognized for their moderate stances, professionalism, and extensive experience in humanitarian, developmental, and relief work within Gaza.
He added that the committee’s main objectives include supporting children, women, the elderly, patients, and the wounded, while restoring hope to a population that has endured nearly two and a half years of war.
Shaath noted that this support is crucial to help the Palestinian people overcome the severe hardship they are enduring, stressing that the priority is to serve Gaza’s families, deliver humanitarian relief, and restore their dignity.
“The committee is not affiliated with any faction,” he clarified, stressing that its members are united by their dedication to Palestine, and their focus is on building a national economy and developing essential facilities.
Financial and operational backing
Shaath also highlighted that the committee has secured financial support, with a two-year budget allocated for its operations and assistance from donor countries.
He also pointed to a dedicated fund at the World Bank for Gaza’s reconstruction and humanitarian efforts, affirming that there are promises, especially from regional countries, to provide significant and tangible financial support.
Shaath emphasized that these countries shall provide full support to the committee for its administration and reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip.
Reconstruction and infrastructure plans
According to Shaath, the committee’s reconstruction plan is based on the Egyptian plan, adopted by the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the European Union (EU).
The Egyptian-Arab-Islamic plan, he noted, sets clear frameworks in terms of relief, infrastructure, and housing assistance, noting that more than 85 percent of houses in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed.
He said the Egyptian plan has already taken the first step, which was adopted by the committee and the Palestinian National Authority, by urgently providing 200,000 prefabricated housing units to the Gaza Strip.
Shaath stated that the committee has identified several sites of specific sizes to place these prefabricated units, along with their facilities for education, health, security, and relief.
“This is the first step to ensure the dignity of Palestinian citizens currently living in tents exposed to the wind,” the Palestinian technocratic committee’s chief emphasized.
The plan, he affirmed, will require billions of dollars, noting that the committee will rely on Arab nations, foremost among them Egypt, for providing contractors, building materials, furniture, and all related needs.
Israeli war catastrophic impacts
Addressing the Israeli aggressions’ catastrophic impacts on the Gaza Strip, Shaath highlighted that before the war, Gaza had 38 hospitals and about 20 universities.
He noted that before the establishment of these universities, students in the Strip primarily relied on scholarships provided by Egypt under the late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser, which amounted to around 10,000 scholarships annually.
Shaath praised the committee members’ technical expertise in building essential facilities in Gaza, “even compared to many Arab countries,” emphasizing that their selection was based on their proven track record in fostering growth in the Strip.
The interview took place as Cairo hosted the first meeting of the committee, tasked with administering Gaza under the trump peace plan, signed by mediators Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, and the US during the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit to end the Israeli genocidal war on the strip on 13 October.
It also came two days after the US announced the launch of the second phase of President Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, shifting focus from a ceasefire to demilitarisation, interim governance, and post-war reconstruction.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, ongoing for more than two years, has left over 71,000 Palestinians killed and more than 171,000 injured, most of whom are women and children, with 90 percent of the strip’s civilian infrastructure damaged.
Who is Ali Shaath?
Ali Shaath, 68, a Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister, will head the new technocratic committee that will administer the Gaza Strip, according to an announcement by the mediating countries on Wednesday.
Shaath was born in the southern city of Khan Younis in 1958. He later left for Egypt to continue his studies.
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.
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