US mulls giving Gaza to Palestinian Authority, drawing Israeli opposition – report

The Trump White House is reportedly considering giving the Palestinian Authority a major role in ruling Gaza, with Israel pushing back on the plan.

By World Israel News Staff

A Palestinian Authority official claimed Wednesday that the Trump administration has concluded the Palestinian Authority must be strengthened and may have a role in postwar Gaza, a report that drew pushback from a person familiar with the talks and highlighted growing friction over who will govern the enclave after Hamas.

The source told Sky News Arabia that “the US administration has become convinced of the need to strengthen the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and of the necessity of its existence as a framework for managing the Gaza Strip.”

The official went on to say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government oppose the emerging American direction and are working to block it.

“It is possible that the management of Gaza will be in the hands of the Palestinian Authority directly or indirectly through the new management committee led by Ali Shaath, which is currently in Egypt,” the Palestinian Authority official said.

However, a person familiar with the discussions denied that Washington or the US-backed Board of Peace is preparing to hand the PA direct authority over Gaza.

“There are no US or Board of Peace plans to transfer any supervisory authority to the Palestinian Authority,” the person told Israel Hayom. “But as per UNSCR 2803, the Palestinian Authority can play an important role upon completion of its reform process.”

The dispute comes as the US-led postwar framework for Gaza remains only partially implemented.

UN Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted in November 2025, endorsed President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, recognized the establishment of a US-led Board of Peace, and authorized an International Stabilization Force.

The plan envisions a transitional mechanism for Gaza, with Hamas excluded from power and a Palestinian role conditioned on reforms.

At the center of that mechanism is the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body headed by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority official.

The committee formally launched its work in Cairo in January, saying it would assume civil and internal security responsibilities in Gaza and oversee stabilization and reconstruction until the PA completes its reform program.

Shaath described the committee at the time as part of an effort to move Gaza from war toward reconstruction.

“The establishment of the National Committee marks a pivotal moment in our collective effort to turn a tragic chapter into a new beginning,” he said. “This is a Palestinian body, created by Palestinians for Palestinians, with the blessing of the PLO, Palestinian Authority, and Palestinian factions. Rebuilding Gaza is not only about infrastructure. It is about rebuilding a society committed to stability, dignity, and sustainable peace.”

But Israel has repeatedly objected to any PA role in Gaza.

In February, Netanyahu told US envoy Steve Witkoff that the PA would not be part of Gaza’s postwar administration.

“The prime minister clarified that the Palestinian Authority will not be part of the administration of the Gaza Strip in any way,” Netanyahu’s office said at the time.

Netanyahu also reiterated Israel’s demand that Hamas be disarmed, Gaza demilitarized, and Israel’s war objectives completed before major reconstruction begins.

The technocratic committee was designed in part to bridge that gap: Palestinian enough to have local legitimacy, but not formally identical to a restored PA government in Gaza. Still, several of its members have ties to the PA or Fatah, and Israel has remained wary of allowing the committee to become a back door for Ramallah’s return.

The renewed focus on Gaza governance also comes after Iran signaled it would raise the issue in its own talks with Washington.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke Tuesday with senior Hamas official Basem Naim and said Tehran would “raise the issue of the occupiers’ ongoing aggression against Gaza” with the US.

Israel Hayom reported that the alleged American shift may be connected to the broader regional diplomacy following an emerging US-Iran understanding and pressure from Tehran to include Gaza in de-escalation talks.

The report said, however, that the claim of a US policy shift had not been independently confirmed and that Washington had not announced a formal change in its position.

gaza stripPalestinian AuthorityTrump administration