Hamas and Fatah are near an agreement on who will oversee postwar Gaza

CAIRO (AP) — Palestinian officials say Fatah and Hamas are closing in on an agreement to appoint a committee of politically independent technocrats to administer the Gaza Strip after the war. It would effectively end Hamas' rule and could help advance ceasefire talks with Israel.

The rival factions have made several failed attempts to reconcile since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. Israel has meanwhile ruled out any postwar role in Gaza for either Hamas or Fatah, which dominates the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

A Palestinian Authority official on Tuesday confirmed that a preliminary agreement had been reached following weeks of negotiations in Cairo. The official said the committee would have 12-15 members, most of them from Gaza.

It would report to the Palestinian Authority, which is headquartered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and work with local and international parties to facilitate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.

A Hamas official said that Hamas and Fatah had agreed on the general terms but were still negotiating over some details and the individuals who would serve on the committee. The official said an agreement would be announced after a meeting of all Palestinian factions in Cairo, without providing a timeline.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media on the talks. There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and scores of hostages are returned. He says Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza and continue to hold corridors within the territory, with civilian affairs in the rest administered by local Palestinians unaffiliated with the Palestinian Authority or Hamas.

No Palestinians have publicly volunteered for such a role, and Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with the Israeli military.

The United States has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. The Israeli government, which is opposed to Palestinian statehood, is reportedly discussing a postwar plan with the United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020 and backs a rival Fatah faction.

The Hamas official said the emerging Palestinian agreement would fulfill one of Israel’s war goals by ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza. It’s unclear if Israeli officials would see it that way.

Previous attempts at unity between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have fallen apart, often because of competition for power between the two rivals — and there are opponents to the current talks within Fatah.

Jibril Rajoub, secretary-general of Fatah’s central committee, denounced the agreement, saying it was “a mistake that we even accepted the principle of discussing this matter.” He said the arrangement would entrench the division between the West Bank and Gaza by accepting two administrations. He said Hamas should instead let the Palestinian Authority retake administration of the territory. ”We represent the unity of the land and the government," he told journalists in the West Bank town of al-Bira.

The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank, recognizes Israel and cooperates with it on security matters, a policy that is deeply unpopular among Palestinians, many of whom view it as a subcontractor of the occupation. Israel says the authority has not done enough to combat militancy or curb incitement.

The committee would assume its responsibilities after a ceasefire agreement with Israel, the Hamas official said. American and Arab mediators have spent nearly a year trying to broker such an agreement, but the negotiations have repeatedly stalled.

Hamas ignited the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Some 100 hostages remain inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many of the dead were combatants. The offensive has leveled much of the coastal territory and displaced the vast majority of its 2.3 million residents.

Federman reported from Jerusalem.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Israeli armoured vehicles move on in an area at the Israeli-Gaza border, seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

A Palestinian inspects the car that was targeted in an Israeli airstrike that the military said was targeting a militant cell near the West Bank village of Al-Aqaba, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Muhammad)

Mourners carry the bodies of two Palestinians Akram Abu Arrah, seen, and Mohammad Ghannam, both killed in an airstrike Israel said targeted a militant cell, during their funeral in the West Bank village of Al-Aqaba, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Muhammad)

Mourners carry the body of Akram Abu Arrah, wrapped with a Hamas flag, out of the family house during his funeral with Mohammad Ghannam, both killed in an airstrike Israel said targeted a militant cell, in the West Bank village of Al-Aqaba, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Muhammad)

Mourners carry the bodies wrapped with the Palestinian flag, of Akram Abu Arrah and Mohammad Ghannam, both killed in an airstrike Israel said targeted a militant cell, during their funeral in the West Bank village of Al-Aqaba, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Muhammad)

Israeli troops enter the complex of the Turkish hospital, where they searched for the bodies of those killed in an airstrike, in the West Bank city of Tubas, Tuesday Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Majdi Muhammad)

Young Palestinians walk amongst rubble of destroyed buildings at a neighbourhood in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto is starting to drop teams from negotiations ahead of baseball's winter meetings next week.

Likely to approach or set a record contract, the free agent slugger has met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.

“When you’re going through these things, he’s just got a lot of information to meld through,” agent Scott Boras said Tuesday after the Los Angeles Dodgers' news conference to introduce Blake Snell, another of his clients. “We’ve had meetings with a number of franchises. He’s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things and so he's — Juan is a very methodical thinker. So we’ll see. But I don’t think anything is imminent in the near future.”

Soto is the top player available among this year’s free agents. A four-time All-Star, he finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks for the Yankees. He has a .285 career batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks over seven major league seasons.

Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer from Washington in 2022, prompting the Nationals to trade him to San Diego, which then dealt him to the Yankees last December. Soto then combined with Aaron Judge to lead New York to the World Series, where the Yankees lost to the Dodgers.

Boras rejected those who say high-spending teams such as the Yankees and Dodgers are buying championships.

“I would say that, as George Steinbrenner said, whatever you do to compete, the fact that I can compete in a different way than others, so be it,” Boras said, referring to the late Yankees owner. “I don’t think that has anything to do with the number of trophies that hang over your stadium. I don’t think fans remember that.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - New York Yankees' Juan Soto celebrates after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 2 of the baseball World Series, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)