Gaza administration plan advances in Cyprus amid funding and legal disputes
US-led Board of Peace representatives are meeting in Cyprus as a plan to administer parts of Gaza faces Israeli objections and donor shortfalls.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
4 min read
Representatives of a US-led Board of Peace are holding closed-door discussions in Cyprus on Gaza’s next phase, while Hamas officials meet mediators in Cairo, Al Jazeera reported. The talks matter because the plan under discussion would direct reconstruction and aid to areas outside Hamas control, reshaping who governs access to shelter, services and resources in the enclave.
Al Jazeera said the meetings are taking place in Ayia Napa and involve figures linked to the Board of Peace, a body headed by international names including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov. The board was set up after an October ceasefire under US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.
The plan centers on Article 17, which Al Jazeera said provides for temporary reconstruction in areas described by officials as free from Hamas control. Al Jazeera reported that the war in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.
Temporary zones proposed near Rafah
Israel Hayom reported that the Board of Peace is expected to begin a pilot project within weeks in Tal as-Sultan, near Rafah, according to Al Jazeera. The project would create humanitarian shelter compounds for unarmed civilians and place them under the supervision of a multinational stabilisation force based at Camp Amitai on the border, Al Jazeera said, citing the Israeli newspaper’s reporting.
Al Jazeera reported that the multinational force would carry batons for public order duties, while the Israeli military would remain fortified behind the “Yellow Line,” which separates Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza from other parts of the territory. The plan would allow reconstruction, aid distribution and shelter to be concentrated in areas outside Hamas’s control, Al Jazeera reported.
The Israel Envelope Forum, which represents residents of Israeli communities near Gaza, has opposed implementing Article 17 before Hamas is defeated militarily and politically, according to Al Jazeera. The forum said even temporary rebuilding could give Hamas time to recover, rebuild tunnels and recruit fighters, and argued that past efforts to separate Gaza’s population from Hamas had failed.
Leak raises immunity concerns
The Cyprus discussions have also drawn scrutiny after The Guardian published a leaked draft resolution, Al Jazeera reported. The document reportedly sought broad legal immunity for Board of Peace members, forces and contractors, and outlined efforts to take control of public facilities and property in Gaza without compensation.
Al Jazeera said a Board of Peace official rejected the leak as misleading. Mohanad Mustafa, an expert on Israeli affairs, told Al Jazeera that if the document is genuine, it would turn the board into what he called a “colonial occupation authority” rather than a body focused on rescue and reconstruction.
Mustafa told Al Jazeera that immunity could shield board members from accountability for legal violations, criminal acts or financial corruption. He also said taking public facilities without a legal basis would violate local and international law.
Funding and access problems
Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed al-Madhoun reported from Cyprus that the meetings are being kept so secret that their exact location has not been disclosed. Al Jazeera said the only visible sign of movement has been the release of images showing vehicles designated for the International Stabilization Force arriving near the Karem Abu Salem crossing, known in Israel as Kerem Shalom.
Al Jazeera reported that donors have pulled back from $17bn in pledges made at a February donor conference, largely because of economic effects from a recent regional war with Iran. Without that money, Al Jazeera said, the Palestinian technocratic committee assigned to daily administration in Gaza cannot operate.
Al Jazeera also reported that Israel refuses to allow the technocratic committee into Gaza, open crossings or start reconstruction until Hamas is fully disarmed, including its military uniforms. Mustafa told Al Jazeera that Israel is obstructing the plan and expanding its occupation beyond the 50 percent of Gaza set out in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Palestinian political analyst Ahmed al-Tanani told Al Jazeera that Hamas views the Board of Peace’s intentions with suspicion. He said Hamas believes Israel is using vague ceasefire language to its advantage and is demanding guarantees from mediators that humanitarian projects will not become a cover for further violence against Palestinians.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.