Hamas dissolves Gaza government as UN-backed NCAG transition plans face Israeli demands

Hamas Announces Dissolution Of Gaza Government, But Israel Warns It's A Sham

Hamas Announces Dissolution Of Gaza Government, But Israel Warns It's A Sham Hamas formally announced Monday the final dissolution of its government in Gaza amid preparations to hand power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of a Trump-brokered ceasefire deal. The hardline Islamist group, which has fought Israel in a war for survival - especially since its brutal Oct.7 2023 terror attacks on southern Israel - has not indicated whether it will fully disarm, however. There's as yet no indication it will comply with handing over security to an international force. A fragile truce has remained in force, but there has been sporadic flare-ups in fighting over the last months, which has also at times seen renewed Israeli aerial assaults. via The Arab Weekly For this reason, the development has been met with mixed reactions, with Israeli officials asserting this is a deceptive PR stunt with no real significance.  "The alleged resignation of the Hamas government, where all of the Hamas members stay in their positions, is a spin that has no significance," an Israeli official told the Times of Israel. The response came on the heels of Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, having announced that "only technical and professional staff" would remain in their positions to run the Gaza Strip's daily administrative affairs. "All employees working in service provision are 'state employees' and are fully prepared to work under the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza," he said at the press event held in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Additionally, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem touted that it marks "a positive step forward on the path to implement the ceasefire deal." At the start of this year, back in January, special envoy Steve Witkoff said the second phase of the ceasefire plan would move the Palestinian enclave into a period that will see the demilitarization of Hamas and the establishment of a technocratic governance model. This phase, now being implemented, is expected to also mark the start of reconstruction for the war-torn territory. The Board of Peace, which is led by President Trump himself, issued a fresh statement linking any legitimate handover of power with a handover of weapons. "The core principle remains one authority, one law and one weapon," the board said on X. "This means 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," it continues. 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 "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 statement says, which strongly suggests the Board of Peace itself is also skeptical of the Hamas announcement. As for the committee which is to assume responsibility in the interim, the Associated Press describes that "The committee of technocrats, which is based in Cairo, is chaired by Ali Shaath, a Gaza-born engineer and former official with the Palestinian Authority. It has a mandate to restore essential services and oversee civilian affairs under the supervision of the U.N. and Board of Peace." At this point Hamas militants probably worry they will be massacred if they give up their arms. For this reason not all armed members are likely to agree even if they are ordered to lay down their weapons by commanders. Tyler Durden Tue, 07/07/2026 - 04:15

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Hamas decision to dissolve Gaza government is a nod to Trump, expert says

Hamas decision to dissolve Gaza government is a nod to Trump, expert says Submitted by Sean Mathews on Mon, 07/06/2026 - 18:22 Hamas's disarmament is the 'trickier' issue to solve as Israel entrenches itself in Gaza and ceasefire stalls A Palestinian boy plays in a giant container filled with water next to a cistern at a displacement camp in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City, on 6 July 2026 (Omar al-Qattaa/AFP) Off Hamas’s decision to dissolve its government in Gaza is intended as a message to US President Donald Trump that the group is not an obstacle to his flagging peace plan for the enclave, experts tell Middle East Eye. Hamas announced on Monday the dissolution of the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades. "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. "He has also decided to dissolve the committee to facilitate the administrative and governmental transition to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)," he added. Hamas has governed Gaza since 2006, when it won a majority in the Palestinian legislature and formed a cabinet. Shortly after, fighting broke out between Hamas and its secular rival, Fatah. Hamas consolidated its hold in Gaza, and Fatah in the West Bank, via the Palestinian Authority. “Hamas is signalling to Trump that they are not the obstacle to his peace deal, unlike Israel, which is bombing and killing every day,” Khaled Elgindy, a senior research fellow in the Middle East programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told MEE. “Hamas is actually more on board with giving up civilian governance in Gaza in favour of NCAG than the Palestinian Authority,” Elgindy added, referring to Hamas’s rival, which exercises limited governance in the occupied West Bank. “This move is not surprising or unexpected, but it is notable,” he added. NCAG is the committee of Palestinian technocrats from Gaza intended to govern daily affairs in the enclave as part of the peace deal brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt in September 2025 to end Israel’s genocide in the enclave, where over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed. The committee has been unable to enter Gaza and is instead based in Cairo. Israeli violations Meanwhile, Israel has continued to launch attacks on Gaza, killing over 1,000 people since the ceasefire was signed. Israel has restricted the entry of aid into the enclave and has also expanded its military presence in recent months, taking control of nearly 70 percent of Gaza’s territory. 'Hamas wants to remove a pretext for Israel to continue attacking Gaza' - Khaled Elgindy, Quincy Institute Trump's "Board of Peace" has failed to condemn Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza and land grabs. According to Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, it is also overseeing a plan to herd Palestinians into so-called “Hamas-free humanitarian zones”. The Board said it "took note" of Hamas's decision and called for the "consolidation of all weapons under the control of the NCAG".  NCAG said it was ready to take over the civilian governance of Gaza. "We affirm that the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities as soon as the necessary resources and capabilities are available," Ali Shaath, head of the committee, wrote on X. "The fundamental requirements for the committee's success are a single authority, a single law with a clear mandate, and a single armed force under the authority of this single entity,” he added. Israel responded to Hamas’s announcement by calling for the “complete demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip”. Under the 2025 peace plan, Hamas agreed to decommission its weapons as Israel withdraws from the enclave. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said publicly that Israel plans to increase its territorial control of Gaza. Elgindy told MEE that Hamas’s announcement was intended to show good faith in the peace plan while deferring the “trickier” issue of demilitarisation. “Hamas wants to remove a pretext for Israel to continue attacking Gaza. But Netanyahu wants a permanent war, and the issue of Hamas’s weapons is the trickier topic,” he added. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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