World
Hamas dissolves Gaza government ahead of eventual transfer of power to technocrats
The Hamas government in Gaza on Monday announced the resignation of the so-called “Emergency Committee” — the Hamas-led administration that governs the Strip — in preparation for the transfer of authority to the technocratic National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The Hamas government said in its announcement that all civil servants will continue providing services as usual, describing them as “public employees who are ready to work under the responsibility of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).” Hamas also said it has completed all the administrative steps necessary to transfer authority.
“The head of the government’s emergency committee Mohammed al-Farra has officially submitted his resignation,” Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas’s government media office, told AFP.
The NCAG, headed by Palestinian technocrat Ali Shaath, was created by the Board of Peace that US President Donald Trump established when he brokered the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in October 2025.
The move appears intended to demonstrate that the terror group is willing to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to the technocrats, in line with Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, despite its foot-dragging on the requirement for it to disarm.
It also appears to mark a significant political shift by Hamas, which has run Gaza since it violently seized control from rival Palestinian movement Fatah in 2007.
The Board of Peace said it would assess developments in Gaza “by actions, not promises,” after the announcement.
The Board has “taken note” of Hamas’s announcement, it said in a statement on X, adding that, “ultimately, our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza.”
We have taken note of the announcement today regarding the dissolution of the “Emergency Committee” in Gaza. Ultimately, our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza. Decisions must be comprehensive with respect to the…
— Board of Peace (@BoardOfPeace) July 6, 2026
The Board said it looks forward to advancing “the implementation mechanisms necessary to enable the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to assume full governing authority,” stressing that this will require “the consolidation of all weapons under the control of the NCAG as provided for in the Comprehensive Gaza Peace Plan and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803.”
“A genuine transfer of authority must enable the NCAG to exercise its mandate independently, including taking the administrative and governance decisions entrusted to it,” the Board said.
An Israeli official appeared to downplay the significance of the move, calling it “spin without any meaning.”
“Hamas fears that [mediators] will declare them to be violating the agreement, and therefore it is stalling and engaging in spin,” the official told the Kan public broadcaster.
Last month, diplomats from each of the Middle Eastern mediating countries — Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — told The Times of Israel that Hamas has sought to drag out negotiations on the issue of disarmament. They also argued that Israel’s refusal to adhere to the terms of the first phase of the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire has posed a major obstacle as well.
Alongside the strikes across Gaza targeting terrorists, the Israel Defense Forces has slowly been pushing out the boundaries of the area inside the enclave still under its control, saying it now controls at least 60 percent of the Strip, rather than the roughly 53% it held following its pullback on the first day of the truce. Netanyahu said last month he had ordered the military to retake additional territory, amounting to 70% of the enclave.
In the areas not controlled by Israel, Hamas has remained in place as the enclave’s de facto government, where it is reported to be maintaining its control by executing its opponents and those it views as posing a threat to its rule.
“Hamas has taken a new step in that it will no longer be in charge of the Gaza Strip, in order to remove any pretexts for the occupation, which continues its aggression and war of extermination,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP.
“We hope for the swift entry of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and Hamas affirms its readiness to hand over governmental responsibilities to the committee to ensure its success.”
A Hamas official earlier told AFP that the group had already informed other Palestinian factions about its decision at a recent meeting in Cairo.
“The factions welcomed Hamas’s decision, describing it as a serious step towards enabling the National Committee to take up its governing role,” the official said.
The NCAG has remained based outside Gaza for months, reportedly due to Israeli objections to its entry into the war-devastated territory.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions have held several rounds of talks in Cairo with mediators to narrow differences, particularly over the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
The first phase involved the release of the last Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians security prisoners held by Israel.
The transition to the second phase, which was to involve Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, has been stalled for months. Under Trump’s plan, Israel will only fully withdraw upon final verification that the terror groups in the Strip have disarmed.
Meanwhile, Hamas is demanding the establishment of a Palestinian administration before it will consider handing over any part of its arsenal.
The question of Gaza’s post-war governance remains one of the main sticking points in negotiations on implementing phase two.
Israel rejects any return of Hamas to power, but also rejects a direct takeover by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, which it accuses of supporting terrorism.
Israel launched the war in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage.
