The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has announced the dissolution of the governing body that has administered the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, paving the way for a technocratic committee to take over civilian administration.
The decision, announced on Monday, marks a major political shift for Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since seizing power from rival Palestinian faction Fatah in 2007 after winning the 2006 legislative elections.
Head of Hamas’ government media office, Ismail al-Thawabta, said the head of the government’s emergency committee, Mohammed al-Farra, had formally resigned and dissolved the committee to facilitate the transfer of administrative responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).
The NCAG was established by the Board of Peace created by US President Donald Trump following the ceasefire agreement brokered between Hamas and Israel in October 2025.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the group had decided to relinquish its role in governing Gaza to remove what he described as “pretexts” used by Israel to continue its military campaign in the territory.
He expressed hope that the National Committee would soon assume its responsibilities, adding that Hamas was prepared to hand over governmental duties to ensure a smooth transition.
A Hamas official also disclosed that the movement had informed other Palestinian factions of its decision during recent talks in Cairo, where the move was reportedly welcomed as a significant step toward enabling the committee to govern the enclave.
The National Committee, headed by Palestinian technocrat Ali Shaath, is expected to oversee civilian administration in Gaza. However, it has remained outside the territory for months amid reported Israeli objections to its deployment.
The development comes as negotiations continue over the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
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While the first phase secured the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, progress on the second phase has stalled.
The unresolved issues include Hamas’ disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and arrangements for post-war governance.
Israeli forces have expanded their presence across the territory in recent months, reportedly controlling nearly 70 per cent of Gaza.
Hamas, however, insists that a new Palestinian administration must first be established before it considers surrendering any part of its weapons.
The future governance of Gaza remains one of the key obstacles in ongoing negotiations, with Israel opposing both a return of Hamas to power and an immediate takeover of the territory by the Palestinian Authority based in Ramallah.