The Hamas movement announced on Monday that it was dissolving its civil administration in the Gaza Strip, saying it was handing over power to a UN-backed technical committee as part of a US-brokered ceasefire.
A Hamas official said technical staff and those providing public services would continue to work, but would work under the National Authority for Gaza, which is expected to temporarily run civilian affairs, the AP reported.
Hamas described the move as a sign of its commitment to rebuilding Gaza, but it did not say whether it would lay down its weapons or hand over security to an international force, the main sticking point.
The new body, known as the Peace Committee, led by US President Donald Trump and tasked with governing and rebuilding Gaza, said it would assess Hamas’s move based on concrete actions, not promises. It also stressed that the technical committee must fully take control of all weapons in Gaza, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said the dissolution of the administration was a “good step” towards implementing the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Hamas’s move was an attempt to avoid disarmament, saying that as long as Hamas has weapons, any civilian administration will operate according to its will.
The technical committee set to take over the administration of Gaza is based in Cairo and is chaired by Ali Shaath, a former member of the Palestinian Authority. The committee is tasked with restoring basic services and administering civilian affairs, working under the supervision of the United Nations and the Peace Committee.
Although the ceasefire agreement came into effect nine months ago, talks between Israel and Hamas remain stalled, with no agreement on Hamas’s disarmament and a plan for rebuilding Gaza.
