Gaza’s Political Vacuum and the Question of Who Governs Gaza

Abstract
Entering the fourth year of Israel's genocide on Gaza, and nearly one year after the Sharm El-Sheikh ceasefire agreement, Gaza remains caught in a profound political vacuum, raising questions about authority, legitimacy, and the future of Palestinian self-determination. As international actors advance plans for post-war governance and reconstruction, the central question is no longer only about how Gaza will be rebuilt, but who will govern it, on whose behalf, and under whose authority.

This seminar examines the struggle over Gaza's political future, focusing on the emergence of the Board of Peace as an international transitional governance framework. It explores how competing claims to political legitimacy, external intervention, and control over humanitarian aid and reconstruction may reshape Gaza's political institutions and marginalise meaningful Palestinian participation.

The discussion examines whether Gaza's political vacuum creates opportunities for Palestinian-led governance or enables new forms of external political control under the language of peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, and reconstruction. Particular attention will be given to whether the Board of Peace could facilitate the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, establish a parallel political structure that further fragments Palestinian governance, or consolidate a separate administrative system that leaves Gaza politically detached from the West Bank.

Bio
Mahmoud Mushtaha is a Palestinian journalist and researcher from Gaza and a PhD student in International Development at King’s College London. He works with We Are Not Numbers, a Palestinian youth-led storytelling project, and as a researcher and reporter with Palestine Reporting Lab. He is the author of Sobrevivir al genocidio en Gaza (Surviving the Genocide in Gaza).

Moderation: Revital Madar, Université libre de Bruxelles – REPI

Registration required: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/SFxqq5MS6Q?origin=lprLink

Wednesday, November 18^th, 2026, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm
Université libre de Bruxelles
Institut d'études européennes, Geremek Room
39 avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 1050 Bruxelles