The statement by Ali Sha'ath, the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, that "we are pleased to have helped facilitate the opening of the Rafah crossing and the search for the body of the last hostage," appeared innocuous at first glance.
Sha'ath's remarks suggested that the crossing between Gaza and Egypt was about to open and that there was a connection or even a conditional link between that step and the return of Ran Gvili. In reality, Gvili is already back in Israel, yet there are still no understandings on how the crossing will open or when that will happen.
Now that Gvili has been returned to Israel, a senior source says there was no connection whatsoever between the two issues. At the same time, Sha'ath's seemingly innocent sentence encapsulates a much larger drama. In practice, according to the senior source, this marked the first governance test of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and it passed successfully. It was IDF soldiers and military dentists who carried out the search for Gvili on the ground.
Behind the scenes, however, a diplomatic umbrella was required to enable the search. The cemetery where Israeli forces operated is located in an area under Hamas control, and the terrorist organization strongly opposed their entry. US officials briefed reporters last night that Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, in close coordination with the administration and with Israel, worked to allow the search to proceed.
The senior source adds that there was another actor involved. The technocrats' government, headed by Sha'ath, received a mandate from the Gaza Board of Peace, whose authority was endorsed by the United Nations. Acting in its name, the government made clear to Hamas that the international community was behind it and demanded that the terrorist organization comply with the agreement to end the war.
Phase one is complete
The first phase of the Gaza Plan included the return of all hostages. Hamas apparently understood that a refusal to cooperate with Sha'ath would be considered a violation of the agreement and therefore agreed. No less important, the senior source stresses, there is and was no connection between the opening of the Rafah crossing and the return of the late Ran Gvili.
The proof is simple. Gvili is already home, yet there are still no agreements on how the crossing will operate or when it will open. All security bodies agree that screening of those entering Gaza will be conducted at the highest level and under Israeli supervision.
There is now consideration of establishing as many as three screening stations for entrants to Gaza, rather than the two previously discussed. Other components of Phase Two of the plan to end the war also remain unclear. According to the senior source, it is still unknown whether Palestinian police trained in Egypt will be tasked with disarming Hamas or whether this will be done in another way. "There is a plan, but it keeps changing in line with developments on the ground," the source said.
In any event, none of this is connected to Gvili. He was returned as Hamas was obligated to do under Phase One of the plan. The fact that this happened with the backing of the technocrats' government is giving senior officials in Washington and Israel hope that it will continue to deliver results. Its next major test, of course, will be the disarmament of Hamas.
