With a fragile ceasefire holding in the Gaza Strip amid continued Israeli violations and overlapping political and security pressures, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has set out a roadmap for the next phase, beginning with urgent humanitarian needs and extending to reconstruction, institution-building, and the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mustafa tied the provision of “decent housing, even if temporary,” to the launch of reconstruction efforts, the opening of border crossings, the restoration of security, and the prevention of displacement.
Any delay in these steps, he warned, would undermine recovery prospects and advance what he described as Israel’s aim of pushing Gaza’s population to leave.
Delaying these steps, he warned, threatens recovery prospects and serves what he described as Israel’s objective of pushing Gaza’s population to leave.
Decent living basics are a top priority
Mustafa said the progress achieved so far on the Gaza ceasefire “deserves thanks to all international and Arab parties” that helped secure it and set the process toward subsequent steps.
But he stressed that the next phase still requires extensive work and that “everything must start with the basics.”
“People are still dying and suffering under these conditions,” he said. “There is indeed no famine today, but decent housing is not available, even temporarily, at least.” He said Israel “continues to impose restrictions” on this front, calling housing “an absolute priority.”
“We do not want to talk about big things. Let us simplify matters,” Mustafa added. “After food and water, the most basic need is for people to live in a dignified place. We are not asking for apartment buildings or villas, just temporary housing, a ready place, a room of 70 or 100 square meters for a family to live with dignity.”
Two conditions for economic recovery
The Palestinian prime minister said the second step after providing temporary housing was “seriously thinking about launching economic recovery and reconstruction, even in their initial stages.”
While acknowledging that arrangements are complex, he said they hinge on two essential conditions: opening the crossings and restoring security.
“Without opening the crossings, construction materials will not enter, and without security, there will be no reconstruction, no economy, nothing at all,” he said.
He added that the next step must be to allow crossings to open for the entry of construction materials and to begin repairing infrastructure to restore basic services, stressing that this “necessarily requires improving the security situation.”
Security and institution-building
Mustafa said improving security must be based on recognizing that the current situation is temporary and that, “ultimately, after around two years, full authority must return to the Palestinian Authority.”
“We want to build all institutions, including the security institution, and we are taking this into account,” he said.
In this context, he said efforts were underway to accelerate work with partners, particularly Egypt, Europeans, and Jordan, to reestablish or strengthen the Palestinian security force, especially the Palestinian police, so that it can maintain security in Gaza.
He added that an international military peace force, if deployed, could provide additional support and help preserve calm with Israel.
Unifying institutions between Gaza and the West Bank
Mustafa said the government is working to develop the performance of institutions in Gaza so they can carry out their duties in delivering services to citizens, but within unified institutional and legal frameworks linking Gaza and the West Bank.
He said the ultimate goal is the unity of Gaza and the West Bank as a step toward establishing a Palestinian state, as agreed at the New York conference led by Saudi Arabia and France, and as outlined in President Donald Trump’s plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
That resolution, he said, stipulates that the process begins with a ceasefire and ends with self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Asked whether displacement plans still pose a real threat, Mustafa said: “We hope displacement will not be real and will not succeed. But to ensure its failure, we must achieve what we talked about: reconstruction, relief, housing, and security.”
“How can people live?” he asked, warning that the absence of these fundamentals would push people to look for any opportunity to leave, which he said is what Israel wants.
