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President Donald Trump and his team are preparing a comprehensive end-of-war plan for Gaza, according to Palestinian sources familiar with the effort. Expected to be made public in the coming days, the plan centers on appointing a single governor to oversee Gaza’s postwar reconstruction and governance. The US is reportedly leaning toward Palestinian businessman and former cabinet secretary Samir Hulileh for the position, the sources said.

While ending the war remains an urgent priority, the real challenge lies in what comes next.

Hulileh’s name first emerged in reports in the Hebrew press earlier this week in connection with a quiet US-backed initiative to appoint him as governor of postwar Gaza. The effort, promoted by Ari Ben-Menashe, an Israeli-Canadian lobbyist based in Montreal, and coordinated under Arab League auspices — according to Ynet — aims to place a Palestinian figure acceptable to both Israel and the United States in charge of Gaza’s reconstruction and governance.

Al-Monitor was able to speak directly with Hulileh, a Ramallah-based economist and senior political figure. He confirmed much of what has been reported — including that he had been approached for the role — but stressed that he would only accept such a role under specific conditions. This includes a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, clear agreements on Gaza’s borders and buffer zones, and reconstruction funding from the Gulf states.

“What is needed is agreement by Israel on the issue of the borders … and the Gulf states to agree on funding for reconstruction,” Hulileh told Al-Monitor. “Without a permanent ceasefire and agreement on the issue of border crossing and funding, I will not accept this difficult and next to impossible post.”

At the same time, Israel’s security cabinet reaffirmed last week its opposition to any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza’s future civilian administration, complicating prospects for a governor who has past affiliations with the PA. While the Ramallah-based government insists on the right to appoint the committee agreed upon at the Cairo Arab summit in March — a six-month “technocratic” committee under the PA’s umbrella, tasked with overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction and preserving its status as part of a future Palestinian state — the Americans, likely influenced by Israeli veto power, oppose any public role for Ramallah in Gaza’s administration.

Several moving parts must align before any breakthrough can happen in Gaza. These include the Netanyahu government, the White House, Gulf states (primarily Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates) and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority. Naturally, Hamas remains a key party, with its position on ceasefire and disarmament central to any agreement. The issue of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences for violent offenses, also remains highly contentious.

Israeli negotiator Gershon Baskin, who helped broker the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap in 2011, has urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to publicly announce a Gaza governor. Baskin recommends Nasser al-Kidwa, former Palestinian foreign minister and Yasser Arafat’s nephew, who has advocated the two-state solution. On prisoner releases, Baskin has argued that life-term prisoners should remain in the occupied territories to facilitate Israeli surveillance and potential re-arrest if release terms are broken. Sources tell Al-Monitor that much of the negotiation’s focus remains on the exact number of Palestinians to be released and whether they will be allowed to remain in the occupied territories or be deported.

Momentum around Gaza’s postwar future has been building since the July 31 UN Conference on the Question of Palestine, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. The high-level meeting on the Gaza war and Palestinian statehood saw all 22 Arab League members join the EU and dozens of other countries in urging Hamas to disarm, release hostages and step aside as part of a renewed drive toward Palestinian statehood. The joint declaration issued at the conference envisioned a temporary international mission to stabilize Gaza and a phased approach toward statehood.