RAMALLAH, October 14, 2025 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stressed, at the outset of the weekly Cabinet session held on Tuesday that ending the war marks a fundamental step toward restoring normal life for the Palestinian people in Gaza after two years of immense suffering. However, he affirmed that this step is not the end of the road, but rather the beginning of a new phase — one that must lead to restoring security, unifying national institutions in the West Bank and Gaza, and rekindling hope for stability.

 “The cessation of war alone is not enough to end the tragedy,” the Prime Minister said. “The real guarantee for peace and security, as well as for preventing a recurrence of what has happened, lies in empowering the Palestinian government to fully perform its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, as part of its national duty toward our people everywhere.”

Mustafa emphasized that “the relief, recovery, and administration of Gaza are not a political gain but a profound national and humanitarian responsibility — one that the Government embraces and undertakes with full commitment.”

He noted that the retreat of the forced displacement scheme requires concerted efforts with Arab and international partners to strengthen the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and ensuring they remain on their land. This, he said, can be achieved by supporting the Palestinian Government’s recovery and reconstruction plan, which has earned Arab, Islamic, and international consensus, and as reaffirmed by the recent New York Declaration.

 “The challenges are immense, and the responsibility is great,” the Prime Minister added. “But as President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized from the very first day of the genocidal aggression, the end of this war — with all the suffering, sacrifices, and pain it has brought — must lead to a political solution that realizes the Palestinian state on the ground.”

He stressed that implementing the recovery and reconstruction program under such difficult and complex conditions requires substantial Arab and international support, while reiterating that any international role must be supportive and complementary — not a substitute for the Palestinian role.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the Palestinian Government has never ceased fulfilling its responsibilities toward our people in the Gaza Strip since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority — particularly in the sectors of health, education, water, energy, and municipalities — and remains the legitimate authority responsible for governance and administration across all Palestinian Territory.

The Prime Minister also announced that the Ministry of Education and Higher Education will today publish the results of the General Secondary Examination (Tawjihi) for more than 26,000 students in Gaza of the 2006 cohort — a truly national achievement, given the extraordinarily difficult and complex circumstances.

Y.S