Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced his government resignation due to escalating violence and ongoing conflict in Gaza. He presented his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas last Tuesday and formally submitted it in writing this morning, as revealed in a Facebook post.
Shtayyeh explained that the move comes against the backdrop of complex challenges faced by the Palestinian people, including attacks in Gaza, escalating violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem, genocide, starvation, economic hardship, forced displacement, terrorism, attempts to liquidate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and others.
“I believe that the next stage and its challenges necessitate new government and political structures that will take into account the new reality in Gaza,” he said.
Shtayyeh’s resignation comes as the United States intensifies pressure on Abbas to dissolve the Palestinian Authority (PA) and begin working on a political framework capable of governing a Palestinian state after the war.
Israel’s rejection of the Palestinian Authority’s return to Gaza has intensified geopolitical tensions, while Israeli lawmakers, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, oppose any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, arguing that establishing a Palestinian state would not contribute to regional peace.
The Health Ministry of Gaza reported a new toll on Monday of 29,782 Palestinians dead and 70,043 wounded since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, in addition to widespread destruction and shortages of essential supplies including food and water.