Palestinian officials deny reports of PA gov resignation

Palestinian officials have denied reports on Sunday that the government of the Palestinian Authority was going to resign in the upcoming days in preparation for the formation of a technocratic government to govern the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reported.

Wasel Abu Yousef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Anadolu that the reports were "not true".

"The principles of forming a technocratic government were being discussed by many parties," he added.

Palestinian factions are set to meet in Moscow on 29 February for talks on Palestinian reconciliation. 

Abu Yousef said that during the talks, "the current political situation and reconciliation will be discussed", adding that there were many questions that remained over the formation of a Palestinian government.

"Will the formation of a government during the genocide stop the war? Will it stop the theft of Palestinian funds [by Israel]? Will the government work in the West Bank and Gaza amid this aggressive war?" he asked.

Meanwhile, a Hamas official denied any discussions about forming a technocratic Palestinian government in the near future, according to a report by The New Arab's Arabic language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Sunday.

The group's spokesman Jihad Taha told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the current priority was stopping Israel's war on Gaza.

Talks on forming a technocratic government, as was being reported by some media outlets, were "premature", he said, adding: "The priority now is reaching a ceasefire and an end to the aggression against our people."

He added that "efforts and initiatives were ongoing, and we hope to achieve the desired results, including the cessation of hostilities, Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of the displaced".

He confirmed that communication and coordination among Palestinian factions were ongoing, but the issue of forming a government was not yet raised.

Another source in Hamas pointed out that the group had informed other Palestinian parties that it would support a national unity government provided it had a unified framework and a specific program that it could follow during the period of governing.

Since 7 October, Israel has been waging a brutal and relentless war on Gaza, killing over 29,690 people and wounding at least 69,870 others, with thousands still missing under the rubble, according to Palestinian officials.