Dr. Ali Shaath
Dr. Ali Shaath is a distinguished national leader, senior strategist, and internationally recognized civil engineer with more than three decades of executive experience in public administration, infrastructure development, economic policy, and post-conflict reconstruction. As Chief Commissioner of the National Committee for Gaza Administration, he brings an exceptional record of strategic leadership, institutional development and reform, and large-scale program delivery at both national and regional levels.
Dr. Shaath holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Queen's University of Belfast, U.K. and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. He also earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Arbitration from the Faculty of Law of Alexandria University, Egypt. His academic foundation is complemented by a distinguished research and teaching career in the United Kingdom, including senior academic appointments at University of Strathclyde, University of Abertay Dundee, and the Queen's University where he supervised postgraduate research and published extensively in the fields of infrastructure and transportation engineering.
Throughout his career, Dr. Shaath has held key ministerial and executive leadership roles within the Palestinian public sector. As Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (1995–2003), he architected and implemented national development plans, successfully aligning national priorities with international financing frameworks, including partnerships with major multilateral and bilateral donors. He subsequently served as Deputy Minister of Transport (2003–2014), where he formulated and led the National Transportation Strategy and oversaw a multi-year portfolio of large-scale infrastructure programs spanning roads, logistics, and public transport systems.
From 2014 to 2021, Dr. Shaath served as Chief Executive Officer of the Palestinian Industrial Estates and Free Zones Authority (PIEFZA), directing the national industrial zone development program, one of the pillars of Palestine's economic growth strategy. Under his leadership, the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park, Jenin Free Industrial Zone, Bethlehem Industrial Estate and Gaza Industrial Estate were advanced as flagship regional investment platforms, attracting significant foreign direct investment and strengthening cross-border trade. His tenure was marked by the successful mobilization and management of multi-donor financing and private-sector partnerships for industrial infrastructure development.
Dr. Shaath has also played a central role in strategic national projects, including serving as Chairperson of the Gaza Sea Port Development initiative, securing more than USD 70 million in international funding from institutions such as the European Investment Bank, and partner governments including the Netherlands and France. As Vice Chairman of the Palestinian Housing Council, he oversaw housing programs valued at approximately USD 250 million, delivering homes for more than 11,000 families. He additionally coordinated the EU-funded National Roads and Transportation Masterplan, endorsed by the Palestinian Cabinet in 2018, establishing comprehensive sectoral policy and technical standards.
In recent years, Dr. Shaath has led and advised major reconstruction and relief initiatives for Gaza. He developed the first comprehensive Emergency Relief Plan addressing the urgent humanitarian needs of over two million residents and led expert teams assessing war-related infrastructure damage across water, sanitation, energy, telecommunications, and transportation sectors. His work has focused on translating emergency response into structured recovery frameworks, integrating strategic planning, debris management systems, infrastructure rehabilitation, and institutional reform.
Dr. Shaath is widely recognized for his ability to mobilize substantial international funding, manage complex multi-million-dollar budgets, and build high-level partnerships with governments, development banks, and private investors. His expertise spans strategic planning and execution, program and project cycle management, post-conflict needs assessment, infrastructure masterplanning, and negotiation in complex political environments.
He is a certified arbitrator and consultant engineer, a member of the Engineers Association – Jerusalem Center, and the author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. His contributions have been honored with numerous awards, including the JICA President's Award (2017) for outstanding contributions to the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park and the Sheikh Sultan Al-Qassimi Prize (2002) for excellence in urban planning research.
As Chief Commissioner of the National Committee for Gaza Administration, Dr. Ali Shaath leads with a clear vision: to restore institutional functionality, rebuild critical infrastructure, strengthen governance frameworks, and lay the foundations for sustainable recovery and economic revitalization in Gaza through strategic coordination, transparency, and international partnership.