Israel will “not accept” the use of a Palestinian Authority symbol by the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with overseeing Gaza’s day-to-day affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said on Tuesday.

The statement early on Tuesday morning followed the use of a logo that closely resembled the “Coat of arms of Palestine” of the Palestinian Authority by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), which was established last month to oversee civil governance in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war.

It raised concern in Israel that the logo signals a Palestinian Authority takeover that Jerusalem has long opposed.

Hamas overthrew the P.A. in Gaza in 2007 in a bloody coup. It remained in control of Gaza until it attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering an Israeli military campaign that stripped the terrorist group of much of its control in the Strip.

NCAG is meant to take over from Hamas as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which began with a ceasefire that went into effect in October.

The NCAG has used an emblem featuring the colors of the flag of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and this week, it used an official logo comprising an eagle with a shield in the colors of the PLO flag atop a text that reads “NCAG.”  The P.A.’s emblem is almost identical, but for the word “Palestine” instead of the acronym.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed giving the P.A. a foothold in Gaza.

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