Alwaght- With the start of the second stage of the ceasefire in Gaza, the talks about key issues like the way of Gaza political and security administration post-war have entered a new level. As regional movements are stepped up, Palestinian groups have gathered to coordinate their stances at this crucial juncture.
As part of these efforts, a number of the Palestinian groups on Monday held a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo to discuss the developments related to their country. According to a statement published by Hamas, the participants have stressed their commitment implementation of the terms of the ceasefire and its continuation.
The statement suggested that realization of this deal includes Israeli military withdrawal, reopening of all border crossings especially Rafah on the border with Egypt, uninterrupted entry of humanitarian aid and medicine, and start of reconstruction process for return of normal life and easing plight of the Gazans.
In a bid to bridge internal divisions, Palestinian factions have convened for talks in Cairo, mediated by Egypt, to revive a national dialogue. The groups are pushing for a comprehensive, all-party summit to agree on a unified strategy for Palestine's future. A key goal is the full and inclusive reactivation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, ensuring it encompasses all factions.
In a significant practical step, the factions agreed to hand over the administration of Gaza to a temporary, local Palestinian committee. A separate international committee is slated to form to oversee funding and monitor the reconstruction of the besieged enclave, with a focus on maintaining institutional unity.
These talks unfold against a backdrop of repeated violations of the initial ceasefire agreement by the Israeli occupation. Its ongoing attacks in northern and southern Gaza, coupled with the obstruction of humanitarian aid, have effectively rendered the truce meaningless. Drawing on the persistent bad faith demonstrated by the Zionist regime, Palestinian leaders are now demanding concrete guarantees in subsequent phases to prevent a return to hostilities and to secure the agreement.
Simultaneously, with Egypt's mediation, the Palestinian groups are working to preempt any pretexts the Israeli regime might use to justify further aggression. Their central aim is to pave the way for Palestinians themselves to assume the governance of the Gaza Strip.
Suppressing the Palestinians by forming military and civilian coordination center
The Palestinian meeting was held as senior American officials have visited Israeli regime and several Arab countries to pave the way for implementation of the second stage of the truce. Though some sources have admitted that Trump administration is pressing the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep the ceasefire, the presence of American representatives in the region shows that the US in association with the Arab countries intens to advance Israeli plans for Gaza future within the framework of the second stage of truce.
In a move to address the Israeli regime's concerns, Washington has established a Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMC), now operating in the occupied territories. The US frames the center as a fundamental mechanism to ensure Gaza's transition to what it calls stability and civilian rule in a "safe and sustainable" manner.
The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) claims the center will focus on guaranteeing the efficient flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security aid into Gaza. This ostensibly humanitarian body is poised to replace institutions like UNRWA, which for decades has managed the distribution of foreign aid to Palestinians.
According to Trump's plan, a committee comprising a number of countries was to shoulder political and security administration of the coastal enclave, but Tel Aviv opposed the idea, saying that it does not want countries Israel calls supporters of Hamas take part in the plan.
The new center, whose details remain vague, has not met international welcome. The United Nations and many countries doubt the Israeli regime's true intentions, suspecting the CMC may be more of a tool to dominate Gaza than to genuinely aid its people. Given the regime's historical record of breaking commitments, there are no guarantees for an independent administration that is accountable to the humanitarian and service needs of Gazans.
So, analysts suggest that under the guise of humanitarianism, the center will likely become an instrument for monitoring and controlling all Palestinian activities. Its ultimate goal, they argue, is to pave the way for Gaza's disarmament, to place the reconstruction process under US management, and to facilitate the Israeli regime's ultimate control over the territory.
This center cannot meet the Palestinian demands. Experience of two years of war shows that thus regime is responsible for massacre of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians. So, in the eyes of the Palestinians, any institution under the control of the Israelis cannot independently, fairly and responsibly meet humanitarian, service, and health needs of the Gazans, and a purely Palestinian management of Gaza with Palestinian decisions can ensure welfare and services to the people of Gaza.
Palestinian sovereignty over Gaza
Palestinian factions are insisting that the second stage of any ceasefire agreement must recognize Palestinian national sovereignty over Gaza. They demand that full administrative control of the territory, from civil services and public health to the distribution of humanitarian aid, be placed entirely in the hands of Palestinian institutions.
They believe that only internal, national management can guarantee a genuine recovery and the restoration of normal life in Gaza. This position is rooted in the bitter experience of the past two years, during which the Israeli regime's widespread military campaigns have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed the strip's vital infrastructure.
From the viewpoint of Palestinian groups, a regime responsible for such devastation and suffering lacks the legitimacy and moral authority to govern Gaza. They view any Israeli presence or oversight in Gaza's internal affairs as a blatant violation of Palestinian sovereignty. Consequently, the right of Palestinians to determine their own fate is a non-negotiable red line.
All Palestinian political factions have agreed on the necessity of forming a committee of independent technocrats to administer Gaza. The goal is to create an impartial body capable of effectively managing civilian affairs, accelerating reconstruction, ensuring the fair distribution of aid, and restoring stability. This committee would also pave the way for the restoration of full Palestinian sovereignty and self-governance in Gaza, a task they believe committees led by Washington and Tel Aviv are unfit to perform.
Given the starkly opposing views of Palestinians and the Israelis concerning the Trump plan, which is heavily skewed in Israel's favor, the prospects for implementing a second stage of the truce remain uncertain and the Palestinian groups are deeply skeptical.
It is for this reason that the Palestinian consensus on placing Gaza under the administration of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) constitutes a strategic, coordinated move. It is designed to preempt the unilateral imposition of the US-backed plan and thwart Israeli domination, thereby ensuring the Palestinian national sovereignty.
Additionally, having in mind that disarming Hamas is the main demand of the US and Israeli regime in the second stage and they insist on this demand, the Palestinian factions are not giving in to the enemy, since in the absence of Palestinian weapons, the Israeli regime can easily advance its occupation plans. So, all the Palestinian groups are pressing to maintain security and political management of Gaza. To avoid giving Netanyahu pretext for fresh war, they have formed a cross-party committee including all groups and will not be limited to Hamas and Islamic Jihad Movement.
Finally, many analysts warn that Trump's plan is unsustainable in the long run because it ignores the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people. They maintain that for any peace plan to achieve lasting stability, it must fully meet the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians. Otherwise, any agreement will merely be a temporary palliative and a short-term fix that fails to settle the underlying issues of an eight-decade-old conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories.
