Hamas nominates candidate for Gaza Administrative Committee PHOTO

Hamas has named its candidate for the proposed “technocratic committee” set to administer the Gaza Strip.

The nominee, Amjad al-Shawa, is described as politically unaffiliated but supportive of Hamas without being a formal member of the organisation, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Al-Shawa heads a network of civil society organisations in Gaza and is reportedly seen as a figure acceptable to Hamas. The Palestinian Authority has also approved his appointment, but still requires confirmation by the United States.

The nomination was agreed upon during a meeting in Cairo attended by representatives of Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and Egyptian intelligence officials.

Al-Shawa, who has long chaired the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Gaza, is viewed as someone who has maintained a cooperative relationship with Hamas and has never publicly opposed the movement.

Reports of Hamas’s involvement in forming a governing body for Gaza first emerged last week. The group is said to have selected about half of the members of the “technocratic government,” choosing individuals who share its views and principles, albeit not always openly.

The Palestinian Authority reportedly appointed the remaining members with Hamas’s tacit consent.

By Aghakazim Guliyev