Hamas announced on Monday that it had dissolved its de facto administration in Gaza and was prepared to transfer authority to a body of independent Palestinian technocrats. The group said the decision marked progress toward a U.S.-backed vision for Gaza’s post-war governance, although Israel dismissed the move as a “stunt.”
The decision to dismantle the committee that has overseen Gaza’s ministries for more than a decade aligns with a key element of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for a civilian-led administration in the enclave following the fragile ceasefire with Israel that began in October.
Hamas said the ministries themselves and the staff it had appointed would stay in place and it would still oversee security and policing in parts of Gaza left under its control following the U.S.-brokered truce.
Trump Board Says It Will Watch ‘Actions, Not Promises’
The Trump-appointed Board of Peace acknowledged Hamas’ announcement but said its assessment would depend on “actions, not promises” in addressing Gaza’s humanitarian needs.
Israel rejected the move, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar calling it a “stunt” aimed at avoiding disarmament. He said any civilian government would remain under Hamas’ control as long as the group kept its weapons, reiterating Israel’s demand that Hamas fully disarm.
Hamas, however, accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and failing to withdraw its forces from Gaza as required under the U.S.-backed plan. The group has maintained it will not disarm until Israeli military operations end.
At a press conference in Gaza City, Hamas official Ismail Al-Thawabta confirmed that the Government Emergency Committee had been dissolved to facilitate the transfer of authority to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The committee’s chairman, Ali Shaath, said the 15-member body was ready to assume responsibility once the necessary conditions were in place, stressing that Gaza’s governance must be based on “one authority, one law, and one weapon” under a single governing framework.
Israeli Strikes Kill Five In Gaza, Medics Say
Israeli troops control more than 60% of Gaza, patrolling what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describes as a buffer zone to deter Hamas attacks. Netanyahu says Israel will not withdraw from the territory.
Israel’s devastating aerial and ground bombardment of Gaza displaced nearly the entire population of 2 million people, most of whom now live in tents or damaged buildings in a narrow coastal strip of territory governed by Hamas.
Gaza health officials said an Israeli airstrike killed a couple in an apartment in Gaza City’s Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood on Monday. The Israeli military said the strike targeted and killed Fadi Ashour Daghmash, a Hamas armed commander.
Two other strikes — one on a tent housing displaced people and another on a vehicle in Khan Younis in the south — killed three people and wounded at least 20 others, medics said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
