Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said the PA is ready to assume “full responsibility” in Gaza, in his first statement since the announcement of the ceasefire deal on Wednesday.
The PA is willing to work to facilitate the return of displaced people to their homes, restore services such as water and electricity, manage the crossings and oversee reconstruction efforts, the statement added.
The PA, which is dominated by the Fatah political party, held administrative control over Gaza until 2007, after Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections in the occupied territories and expelled it from the strip. Since then, Hamas has ruled Gaza and the PA governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
