(MENAFN) Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa announced Monday that a transitional body will manage the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire, asserting the authority of the Palestinian government over the war-torn enclave.

“The Gaza Management Committee, which will be announced soon, is an interim committee under the authority of the Palestinian government,” Mustafa declared during a joint press briefing with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at the Rafah border crossing.

“Gaza is an integral part of our state, and our government is the only executive body authorized to manage its affairs,” he emphasized.

The prime minister underscored that Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza does not grant any external force the right to dictate governance in the region. The Israeli assault on Gaza “does not give any party, local or international, legitimacy to impose superior arrangements,” he said.

Mustafa further disclosed that the Palestinian Authority is coordinating with Egypt to convene an international reconstruction conference “as soon as possible” to rebuild the devastated territory.

He also criticized Israel's continued blockade of aid entering through the Rafah crossing. Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing to the entry of aid trucks into Gaza is “a message to the world that Israel is starving the Palestinian people to force their displacement,” Mustafa stated.

On August 8, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan put forth by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to gradually seize control of the Gaza Strip, beginning with the forced evacuation of nearly one million residents from Gaza City to the southern region. The proposed operation includes encircling the city and conducting systematic raids. A subsequent phase would aim to capture central Gaza’s refugee camps—areas already largely destroyed by ongoing strikes.

Since October 2023, Israeli military actions have killed over 61,900 Palestinians, leaving much of Gaza in ruins and facing imminent famine.

In addition to global condemnation, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel is also defending itself at the International Court of Justice, where it stands accused of committing genocide during its military campaign.

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