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Meloni expressed his support for a ceasefire in Gaza to the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met this Saturday with her Palestinian Authority (PA) counterpart Mohammad Mustafa, to whom she expressed her support for a ceasefire and increased access to humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Meloni welcomed Mustafa to Rome and reiterated “Italian support for all ongoing efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and a boost to the quality of humanitarian aid to the population of the Loop”.

He also highlighted “Italy’s firm commitment to the civilian population of Gaza”, which he assured would be included in the programme to deliver food to the Strip “through more financing”.

Likewise, according to a statement from his office, Meloni reaffirmed to Mustafa “the need to restart a political process that leads to lasting peace based on the two-state solution.”

Mustafa took over as prime minister in April, leading an initiative to reform the PA, an institution with authority over small areas of the West Bank that was losing legitimacy among the population and rapidly losing weight on the ground in the face of internal change urged by the US and its Western partners.

According to analysts, the election of Mustafa as the new prime minister was made as part of these moves, aimed at improving the position of the Palestinian leadership externally as well.

The PA, headed by longtime Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is the main Palestinian interlocutor with Western countries, and does not have direct control over Gaza, from which it was expelled after Hamas seized power in the Strip in 2007. In recent months, actors in the international community such as the European Union have suggested that the PA retake power in Gaza in a possible post-war scenario.

However, its influence on the ground is very limited and its role is almost negligible in the talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, where the Israeli offensive has been ongoing since the war began on October 7 and has resulted in nearly 36,000 Palestinian deaths.

Before meeting Meloni, Mustafa also met Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani this Friday, who told him that Italy would resume funding to UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, which it suspended in January after Israel accused some of its staff of participating in a Hamas attack in October. (EFE)