Fatah blocks formation of national committee to run Gaza

GAZA, Dec. 22 (YPA) – Fatah  Movement has reportedly rejected efforts to form a “national committee” to run the Gaza Strip, sources familiar with the matter told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar on Monday. Hamas, meanwhile, stated that it “does not oppose the formation of a committee headed by a minister from Ramallah.”

Sources said that the Palestinian Authority delegation has reneged on a previous agreement to establish a minister-led committee for Gaza, reiterating longstanding demands for full control over the territory.

Reports from Cairo indicate that Fatah is pushing to create a body to replace the “High Follow-up Committee in Gaza,” excluding both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Palestinian factions, however, have voiced strong objections to this approach.

Hamas leadership sources told Al-Akhbar that the movement extended both public and private invitations to Fatah to hold meetings aimed at prioritizing national interests amid the historic challenges facing the Palestinian cause, but these attempts reportedly failed.

Egypt, through its General Intelligence Service, also pressed Fatah to engage in dialogue. A meeting was held last month between delegations from Hamas and Fatah, including Hussein al-Sheikh and Majid Faraj, but it yielded no results. The Fatah delegation alternately claimed to represent the Palestinian Authority and Fatah before ultimately withdrawing.

In the same development, during his recent visit to Doha, Hussein al-Sheikh reportedly refused to meet with Hamas. Qatari efforts to arrange a bilateral session between the two movements also ended without any tangible outcome.

@E.Y.M