Palestinian technocratic committee to oversee Gaza reconstruction announces mission statement – 'We embrace peace’

According to reports in Arab media, the first meeting of the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) took place on Friday in Cairo.

Al-Qahera News reported that the first meeting of the Palestinian technocratic committee, composed of nonpartisan experts and tasked with overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction, convened in the Egyptian capital.

In a statement, the NCAG said it would focus on “establishing security, restoring the essential services that form the bedrock of human dignity, such as electricity, water, healthcare, and education, as well as cultivating a society rooted in peace, democracy, and justice.”

In a message posted online, NCAG Chief Dr. Ali Shaath reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to both Gaza’s restoration and the pursuit of peace.

Today, as my first official act, I adopted and signed the NCAG Mission Statement, affirming our governing mandate and operating principles:

Authorized by the UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and President Donald J. Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan, the National Committee for the… pic.twitter.com/WJJZLtW356

— Dr. Ali Shaath (@AliShaathNCAG) January 17, 2026

“We embrace peace, through which we strive to secure the path to true Palestinian rights and self determination,” Shaath wrote.

In an interview with a local Palestinian radio station last week, Shaath estimated that rebuilding the enclave – largely destroyed during the two-year Gaza war that began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel –would take about seven years.

Speaking to the Basma radio channel, Shaath said that all committee members possess expertise and competence in various fields, including engineering, urban planning, economics, energy, water, and the environment, to ensure the development of well-considered and implementable plans for the coming period.

Remarkably, despite statements from the Hamas terror organization, which said last week that it had instructed its authorities to be ready to hand over civil and political administration to the NCAG, Shaath said the committee "will have absolutely no political role,” and that its work would be limited to "construction, reconstruction, and the rehabilitation of infrastructure and basic services.”

He further added that "any communication or coordination with any party will be governed solely by what serves the interests of the Palestinian people and our people in the Gaza Strip.”

This revelation, along with the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump of the previously unknown Gaza Executive Board, appears to give some credence to Israel's concerns regarding the roles of Qatar and Turkey on that board.

Shaath’s comments appear to indicate that the Gaza Executive Board, not the NCAG, will have political administration over the Gaza Strip. Given the longstanding antagonism of both countries toward Israel, and the support each has provided to Hamas – even during the Gaza war – concerns expressed by Israeli leaders appear to be justified.

According to Shaath, among the first issues to be addressed by the NCAG is the work to begin systematic reconstruction efforts in Gaza, including: giving priority to temporary housing for those whose homes were destroyed; securing the delivery of potable water by working to repair water networks and treatment plants; and addressing overall sanitation, due to current health and environmental problems.

Recently, Shaath attracted attention by suggesting that rubble from the ruins of Gaza’s buildings could be pushed into the Mediterranean Sea to create additional territory for Gaza.