Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tasked Dr. Muhammad Mustafa with forming a new government this evening, Thursday.

According to the Palestinian news agency "Wafa", President Mahmoud Abbas tasks Dr. Muhammad Mustafa with forming the 19th government."

Muhammad Mustafa will be Prime Minister, succeeding Mohammad Shtayyeh, who resigned his government on February 26.

Mustafa, an economist educated in the United States, previously managed the Palestine Telecommunications Group (PALTEL) as well as the Palestinian Investment Fund affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, with assets of about one billion dollars to finance projects throughout the Palestinian territories.

He was appointed 10 years ago to help lead reconstruction efforts in Gaza after a previous war between Israel and Hamas.

Currently, Muhammad Mustafa will face a massive administrative and diplomatic task after large areas of Gaza turned to rubble and most of its 2.3 million inhabitants were displaced and in need of aid, while the West Bank is also witnessing the worst violence in decades.

Biography of Muhammad Mustafa

Muhammad Mustafa (69 years old) was born in the city of Tulkarm in the West Bank.

He earned a doctorate in Business Administration and Economics from George Washington University.

He worked at the World Bank in the American capital, Washington.

Mustafa is a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization led by Abbas.

The Palestinian president appointed Mustafa as head of the Palestinian Investment Fund in 2015.

He served as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs from 2013 to 2014.

He chaired a committee tasked with rebuilding Gaza after the seven-week war in which more than 2,100 Palestinians were killed.