Hamas announces dissolution of Gaza governing body

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Palestinian group Hamas announced on Monday the dissolution of the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, clearing the way for a technocratic committee to <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1969633">implement civilian rule</a>.</p> <p>The move marks a significant political shift by Hamas, which has run Gaza since it seized control from Palestine’s Fatah group in 2007 after winning <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1994257">legislative elections</a> the previous year.</p> <p>Since a ceasefire took effect in Gaza last October between Hamas and Israel, the group has <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1969633">repeatedly said</a> it is prepared to step aside from day-to-day governance, but the thorny issue of its <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1971938">disarmament</a> remains unresolved.</p> <p>“The head of the government’s emergency committee Mohammed al-Farra has officially submitted his resignation,” Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas’ government media office, told <em>AFP</em>.</p> <p>“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).”</p> <p>The NCAG was created under a <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1945568">20-point peace plan</a> by the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1969546">Board of Peace</a> (BoP) that US President Donald Trump established when he <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1947576">brokered the ceasefire</a> between Hamas and Israel in October 2025.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/1956968'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1956968" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>“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 <em>AFP</em>.</p> <p>“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.”</p> <p>A Hamas official earlier told <em>AFP</em> that the group had already informed other Palestinian factions about its decision at a recent meeting in Cairo.</p> <p>“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.</p> <h2><a id="ncag-says-ready-to-govern-gaza-once-resources-available" href="#ncag-says-ready-to-govern-gaza-once-resources-available" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>NCAG says ready to govern Gaza once resources available</h2> <p>The dissolution of the Hamas body paves the way for the NCAG, headed by <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1967247">Palestinian technocrat Ali Shaath</a>, to assume administrative responsibilities in the territory.</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/1967247'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1967247" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>The NCAG said it was ready to govern Gaza.</p> <p>“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 wrote on X.</p> <p>“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.”</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/AliShaathNCAG/status/2074112262495670677'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/AliShaathNCAG/status/2074112262495670677"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>The BoP said it had taken note of Hamas’s announcement and called for all weapons in Gaza to be under the control of the NCAG.</p> <p>“The core principle remains one authority, one law and one weapon. This means the consolidation of all weapons under the control of the NCAG,” the board said in a statement on X.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/BoardOfPeace/status/2074091353042997318'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/BoardOfPeace/status/2074091353042997318"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>The NCAG has remained based outside Gaza for months, reportedly due to Israeli objections to its entry into the war-devastated territory.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>The first phase involved the release of the last Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Mkhaimar Abusada, a political expert from Gaza, told <em>AFP</em> that Hamas’s move was a “symbolic gesture”.</p> <p>“The problem is not with dissolving their governmental committee, but with agreeing to disarmament,” he said. “Hamas has not agreed to disarming itself and that is still the sticking point.”</p> <figure class='media w-full sm:w-1/2 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/1862140'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1862140" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>“From Hamas’s perspective, this checks a few boxes,” said a diplomatic source, referring to Monday’s announcement.</p> <p>“It shows they are moving the process forward, puts the spotlight on what they portray as Israel’s failure to follow through on its commitments,” added the source, who attended some of the talks in Cairo.</p> <p>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, which includes the group’s disarmament.</p> <p>Israeli forces have actually expanded their presence in the territory in recent months, <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2012709/1000-days-of-genocide-a-tally-of-devastation-in-gaza">taking control of over 80 per cent</a>, as of July 2.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Hamas is demanding the establishment of a Palestinian administration before it will consider handing over any part of its arsenal.</p> <p>The question of Gaza’s post-war governance remains one of the main sticking points in negotiations on implementing phase two.</p> <p>Israel rejects any return of Hamas to power, but also rejects a direct takeover by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority at this stage.</p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.