Yahya Al-Sarraj

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Yahya Rusydi Al-Sarraj (or Yahya R. Sarraj or Yahya Sarraj) is a university professor and local government administrator in Gaza, Palestine. He was appointed Mayor of Gaza City by Hamas in 2019, a move that sparked controversy due to its antidemocratic nature.^[1] Fatah, the political party that dominates the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, denounced the selection process.^[2]

Academic career[edit]

Al-Sarraj has served in multiple academic roles throughout the exclave of Gaza. In 2014, he was the deputy chairman of external affairs at the Islamic University of Gaza.^[3] By 2019, he had been serving as the head of the board of trustees of the University College of Applied Sciences, another university in Gaza,^[4] and served on a joint committee addressing financial issues across Gazan universities.^[5]

Mayoralty[edit]

Al-Sarraj assumed the office of Mayor of Gaza in 2019. At the handover ceremony, he listed internal affairs, service development, activating cultural centres, and focusing on development and investment as the four priorities of the city council under his leadership.^[6][7]

Later in 2019 he announced that he was working on a campaign to get Gaza residents to sort their garbage, and was hoping that a private company could be found to recycle it.^[7]

After the 2021 conflict with Israel, Al-Sarraj announced the "We Will Rebuild It" campaign to fix damage caused by the war.^[8] He also called for the lifting of Israel's blockade on Gaza,^[8] which he blamed for the ongoing financial crisis in Gaza City.^[7] In June of that year, he was honoured by Fatah's Democratic Reform Movement for his work and effectiveness on rebuilding Gaza, with the presentation of the "Shield of Loyalty".^[9]

References[edit]