Hamas official: We agreed with Fatah that technocratic committee will manage Gaza

Top Hamas official and head of the terror group’s negotiation team, Khalil al-Hayya, said in an interview published by Al Jazeera last night that Hamas agreed with Fatah and the other Palestinian factions in principle to establish a technocratic committee to manage Gaza.

Al-Hayya stressed that an agreement was reached with Fatah on the matter, despite a statement from Fatah last week opposing the declaration by Hamas and other factions, arguing that the PLO was the proper framework for addressing the issue of temporary administration in Gaza.

Al-Hayya added that the committee would be temporary and should lead to Palestinian elections and the formation of a Palestinian national unity government. He did not answer when such a committee might be established, saying he could not estimate the timeline.

He emphasized once again that Hamas would not give up its weapons except with the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Al-Hayya addressed the October 7 massacre, saying: “October 7 is the natural result of 77 years of occupation behavior. Therefore, I say the [attack] — despite all the pain of our people, the martyrs, and the prisoners — has moved the Palestinian issue to a new stage and exposed the true face of the occupation.”