Palestinian leader makes first public move toward new Gaza administration

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has held his first publicly reported telephone conversation with Ali Shaath, the chief commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), following Shaath's appointment to the role, The Jerusalem Post reports.

According to the report, Abbas called Shaath to offer his condolences over the death of Shaath's uncle.

Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority, thanked Abbas for the gesture, saying the call had been meaningful and impactful.

The conversation comes amid evolving relations between the Palestinian Authority and the US-backed NCAG. Although the PA initially opposed the committee's establishment, Ramallah later agreed to cooperate with it under a formal agreement signed in January.

The call also followed a significant political development in Gaza. One day earlier, Hamas announced the resignation of its governing Emergency Committee, clearing the way for Shaath's NCAG to assume administrative control of the Gaza Strip.

By Vafa Guliyeva