Gaza peace council publishes roadmap for Israeli withdrawal, Palestinian handover

CAIRO, Egypt — CAIRO — The Peace Council established for Gaza published the items of a roadmap aimed at completing the implementation of the agreement to end the war in the territory. The plan sets out Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, a return to normal life, the empowerment of the Palestinian administration, reconstruction, the strengthening of security and development, and the preparation of a political process leading to self-governance and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Under the document, Israel will fulfill without delay all its commitments under the Sharm el-Sheikh protocol, while Hamas and Palestinian factions will end all military operations under the same framework. The roadmap provides for an implementation timetable and mechanisms to be prepared within 14 days of approval by the parties, after which the National Gaza Administration Committee would begin its work. Transition from one phase to the next is to be tied to confirmation that the previous phase has been completed. An international verification commission will monitor compliance through a reinforced oversight mechanism and track any violations by either side. Hamas and Palestinian factions have agreed to the transfer of civilian administration and security responsibilities to the independent National Committee and to the continuation of institutions and services. No further details on the timeline for each phase were immediately available.