CAIRO, March 13, 1957 (UP) - Egypt will take over civil administration of the Gaza Strip, the United Nations and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser agreed today. UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold said after a 90-minute conference with Nasser that the UN forces would turn over Gaza civilian rule to Egypt in the same way it returned control of Port Said to Egypt after the British-French invasion.
There was no immediate reaction in Israel.
But earlier today, Israeli Premier David Ben-Gurion said his nation would fight "if Gaza returns to Egyptian control."
Ben-Gurion did not spell out immediately the exact terms under which Israel would fight - whether if Egyptian civilians return to Gaza or only if Egyptian military forces move in.
In either case, the UN-Egyptian statement will result in a new statement of action by Israel.
The Ben-Gurion government has said previously it will not tolerate Eyptian control over Gaza, on the grounds that the sector never really belonged to Egypt.
The UN position, however, seems to be that since Egypt administered Gaza before the October Israeli invasion, the Nasser government has the right to re-assume at least civilian rule.
About 200,000 Arab Palestine refugees and 90,000 permanent Arab residents live there.
Ben-Gurion told the Knesset (parliament) this morning that Israel "would not take it lying down" if Egypt returns to Gaza. But he declined to announce Israel's specific military plans.
He said his government "would resort to military measures if political measures fail."
In the UN-Egyptian announcement, UN Assistant Secretary-General Ralph Bunche said "it is up to the Egyptian authorities to announce when the takeover will take place."
"The United Nations emergency force is not an administrative force in Gaza," he said.
On Monday, Egypt appointed a civilian governor for Gaza, Maj. Gen. Hassan Abdel Latif. Informed sources said today he would lead his civilian administrative team into Gaza within the next few days.
Bunche said his talks with Nasser were "very helpful and constructive."
Bunche said he conveyed to Nasser, on behalf of the UN and UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, the "deepest regret" on the death of an Arab in the Gaza Strip demonstrations Sunday.
Only yesterday, Bunche denied that the UN troops had any part in the fatal wounding of the Arab.
Reports from Gaza told of renewed mass demonstrations by the Arab population for the return of Egyptian control. The reports said there were no indications of violence.
Ben-Gurion concluded his speech on the grave note that if the time came "when action of Israel would be appropriate and necessary, the government would not, of course, give prior notice of its action."
Ben-Gurion's speech to Parliament came after he won two votes of confidence.
The white-haired, ailing 70-year-old Israeli leader blamed "certain big powers" for Egypt's Gaza threat. Ben-Gurion did not get specific but immediately after said he deplored the concern of the UN officers for the feelings of Nasser rather than for Middle East peace.
"I must express surprise at a statement attributed in the press to Dr. Bunche, the UN representative to the strip, to the effect that the UNEF was in Gaza with the agreement of Egypt," the premier said.
Ben-Gurion said it was no within the power "of the Egyptian dictator" Nasser "to agree or disagree, since he was ignominiously expelled from the Gaza Strip."
"In fact, the Egyptians seized the strip in the first place in violation of the UN charter and of a UN Security Council decision," he said.
"Throughout their occupation, they acted to the detriment of the population, ignoring all their international obligations."
Ben-Gurion said he regretted "Dr. Bunche's superiors in the UN have sometimes been more concerned with the prestige of that organization than Mideast peace."