GAZA/BAGHDAD - The Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) said on Monday that any committee formed to govern the Gaza Strip must be headed by a minister from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Fatah spokesperson Munther al-Hayek said in a statement that the proposed administrative body must derive its legitimacy from the Ramallah-based PA, warning that Hamas's refusal to cooperate could deepen the political and geographic divide between Gaza and the West Bank.

"The Palestinian people are facing a dangerous phase that requires a legitimate political system recognised internationally in order to mobilise global support for relief and reconstruction," al-Hayek said.

Fatah's demands followed an announcement by Hamas on Saturday that it would dissolve its existing governing bodies in Gaza, describing the move as a step toward forming an independent administrative committee under a broader framework for post-October 2025 ceasefire governance.

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Hamas said on Monday it had submitted a list of 40 candidates to Egyptian authorities to be considered for a technocratic committee to administer the Gaza Strip.

Senior Hamas official Mohammad Nazzal said the proposal had drawn objections from both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the PA. He accused Netanyahu of seeking to undermine the ceasefire agreement and escalate regional tensions to deflect from domestic political pressures.

Hamas, which has controlled Gaza's internal institutions since its 2007 split with Fatah, has urged the PA to pursue "national consensus." While the PA is internationally recognized as the representative of the Palestinian people, its practical influence in Gaza has been minimal for nearly two decades.

Under the terms of the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, Gaza is to be administered by a transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by an international "Board of Peace." The agreement stipulates that Hamas must disarm and have no future role in the territory's formal governance. 

Three Palestinians killed 

Three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, according to the Gaza Civil Defense.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, told Xinhua that the three were killed when an Israeli drone dropped a bomb on a group of Palestinians south of Khan Younis.

Senior Hamas police official killed

Gaza's interior authorities announced on Monday the killing of the head of the Khan Younis police investigations department in the southern Gaza Strip by unknown gunmen.

In a press statement, the authorities said that Mahmoud al-Astal, 40, was assassinated after being shot in the al-Mawasi area. The statement added that preliminary investigations indicated the shooting was carried out from a car by several individuals accused of collaborating with Israel.

It explained that security forces have opened an investigation into the incident and are working to track down the perpetrators.

Food aid

Iraq on Monday sent 12 tonnes of essential food supplies to the Gaza Strip in a humanitarian airlift operation, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said.

A ministry statement said a C-130 transport aircraft departed Baghdad for El Arish Airport in Egypt, where the aid will be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent for delivery to Gaza.

The mission was coordinated with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society and overseen by an advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister.

The latest batch continues Iraq's ongoing humanitarian relief campaigns to provide medical and food aid, the statement said, reaffirming Iraq's "unwavering role in supporting affected populations and reinforcing the values of human solidarity and moral responsibility towards just causes." ■