GAZA CITY — Amid the worsening economic and humanitarian situation in Gaza, political and professional figures announced the establishment of a council on Feb. 1 to rescue Gaza from the financial and other crises affecting every sector. Ibrahim Habib, who spearheaded the idea, explained to Al-Monitor that the rescue council is not a political party but is envisioned as a service organization. Its oversight committee consists of 11 members, most of them professionals from a broad range of backgrounds.
“The council’s mission is rescue,” Habib said. “It is not intended to resolve the problems the Gaza Strip has developed over the years. The rescue is limited to facilitating services in Gaza and communicating with local, regional and international authorities, including Israel, to hold them accountable for the situation in the Gaza Strip, which is still under Israeli control and is no longer habitable. The services the council would seek to provide cover all aspects of daily life in the Gaza Strip, including health, education, environment and economy.”
Habib also remarked that the council has been communicating with all Palestinian factions and civil society organizations for deliberations on ways to save Gaza. “We should not wait for the slow death of residents,” he said. “Gaza is on the verge of collapse, which will affect all Palestinians. With the factions’ approval, we want to offer residents a solution. We have launched wide-scale deliberations to discuss the situation and offer solutions to the crises.”
He further stated, “The council is temporary and seeks to fulfill the duties that the current PA government is not assuming in Gaza. As soon as the government begins offering services, the council will be deemed disbanded, and all its members will help the government fulfill its duties. If our work persists for a year without the consensus government assuming its responsibilities in Gaza, we will call for municipal elections based on the single-member constituency to manage the Gaza Strip, and then the council will be disbanded.”
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