<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Spanish government declared on Thursday that the creation of a Palestinian technical committee for the administration of the Gaza Strip, as outlined in the peace plan, is “a positive step towards the full implementation of the second phase of the peace plan, and lays the groundwork for the restoration of the unity of the State of Palestine under its National Authority.”</strong></h4> “Spain trusts that the appointment of a national committee for the administration of the Gaza Strip will be a step forward that contributes to stability and facilitates the alleviation of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip with the necessary increase in the inflow of aid,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release. “The appointment of a committee with Palestinian figures to administer the Gaza Strip is a positive step towards the full implementation of the second phase of the peace plan, and lays the groundwork for the restoration of the unity of the State of Palestine under its National Authority,” it continued. “In this regard, the Government of Spain reaffirms its firm support for the Palestinian National Authority, our only partner for peace, and reiterates its essential and indispensable role in this transitional phase,” it added. “Spain remains firmly committed to international efforts for peace in Gaza and appreciates the commitment of the mediators, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, to advance the implementation of the peace plan, which, together with the New York Declaration on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, is the path to achieving a just and lasting peace,” it concluded. Donald Trump’s special envoy for mediation in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, announced on Wednesday the start of the second phase of the 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip, approved last October. This second phase should allow a transition “from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction” and establishes “a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG),” he added via the social network X. Last October, Israel and Hamas signed a peace plan, mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, which includes the creation of a Palestinian technical committee that will be responsible, under the supervision of a “Peace Board,” for the governance of Gaza during an indefinite transitional period. The committee does not include members of Hamas, the armed group that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007. This new body will have fifteen members and will be chaired by Gazan engineer Ali Shaaz, a former deputy minister of the Palestinian Authority.
