RAMALLAH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa announced on Tuesday the creation of a working committee to manage affairs in the Gaza Strip, following directives from President Mahmoud Abbas, state news agency WAFA reported.
The move aims to affirm the "unity of the Palestinian state's territories" and bolster national cohesion, Mustafa said during a weekly cabinet session in Ramallah. The committee will coordinate humanitarian aid delivery, clear debris, open roads, and establish temporary shelters for displaced residents ahead of broader reconstruction efforts, he added.
Mustafa emphasized the government's focus on restoring basic services, including water, electricity, healthcare, and education, through an emergency operations room in Gaza's southern governorates. "Our national responsibility compels us to support our people who have endured 15 months of war's horrors," he said.
The announcement comes days after Gaza's Hamas-run government media office estimated direct losses from the Israeli military offensive at over 50 billion U.S. dollars across infrastructure and economic sectors.
Mustafa said reconstruction plans would be coordinated with Egypt, which borders Gaza and has mediated between Hamas and Israel alongside Qatar and the United States. ■
