At the African Union summit in Ethiopia, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas called for the immediate removal of all Israeli barriers blocking the second phase of the US-backed Gaza ceasefire. Abbas’ speech was delivered by Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa on February 14, 2026. Abbas stressed that removing these obstacles is key to allowing a technocratic committee to manage daily governance in Gaza. This will help ensure continued services, coordinate humanitarian work, and speed up recovery in the region. He accused Israel of continuing to violate the ceasefire agreed with Hamas last October, stating, "From the announcement of the ceasefire until today, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed, which threatens the durability of the truce and the full implementation of its second phase." Despite the ceasefire moving into its second phase last month, Israel still controls more than half of the Gaza Strip. The 15-member technocratic committee, overseen by a “Board of Peace” set up by US President Donald Trump, remains stationed in Egypt. This holds even after the Rafah border crossing partially reopened on February 2. Nickolay Mladenov, a US-appointed diplomat for Gaza, warned at the Munich Security Conference that several conditions must be met before the committee can enter Gaza. He said Hamas must hand over civilian governance, and confirmed, "We need to make sure that we have the framework agreed in place on the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza." Separately, African Union Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf opened the 39th AU summit by condemning the "extermination" of Palestinians. He said, "In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop." Youssouf also highlighted ongoing conflicts in Africa, noting from Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo people pay a heavy price due to instability. The two-day summit gathers leaders from the 55 African Union member states under the theme of water sanitation.