Palestinians ready to govern Gaza, says PM Mustafa
Mohammed Mustafa, the Palestinian Authority's prime minister, has said the Palestinians are ready to govern Gaza from Sunday. "We have a hundred day plan for the day after," Mustafa said after a visit to the Belgian prime minister in Brussels.
Friday's meeting between Mustafa and Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo, scheduled before the Hamas-Israel agreement, came at a crucial time. Both prime ministers stressed the importance of a lasting peace.
"We want more than a ceasefire, we want peace in the region"
"We want more than a ceasefire, we want peace in the region," said Mustafa. De Croo agreed, calling for a two-state solution "which should ensure that the people of Israel can live in peace and the people of Palestine can take control of their own future".
A ceasefire is expected to take effect on Sunday, after which the Palestinians will take control of Gaza. Mustafa, who will be in his office in Ramallah in the West Bank on Sunday, said he has a plan for Gaza.
Hundred day plan
"The Palestinian ministers have clear instructions on what to do from the moment the ceasefire begins. We have a hundred day plan for the day after," he said.
"The ministers of health, education, water and electricity will instruct their teams to deliver as much humanitarian aid as possible as quickly as possible," said Mustafa.
"It depends on how the Israelis will behave in the coming days, but we are trying to be as ready as possible"
"Hopefully the security situation will allow this. It depends on how the Israelis will behave in the coming days, but we are trying to be as ready as possible," he said.
De Croo expressed hope that the violence would stop immediately and that the first hostages and prisoners would be exchanged on Sunday. The agreement comes "after an inhuman period for the residents of Gaza, with suffering we cannot imagine," he said.
Mohammad Mustafa and Alexander De Croo during a diplomatic meeting between Belgium and the Palestinian Authority in Brussels on 17 January 2025 © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE
Related news
