Hamas announced on Monday that it will dissolve its government in Gaza, a move that experts say puts pressure on Israel as progress from the US-brokered ceasefire plan has stalled.
Ismail al-Thwabta, the head of the Hamas’ Government Media Office (GMO), said the militant group is ready to turn over governance to the Palestinian technocratic committee that’s meant to lead the enclave under the agreement. Hamas’ statement made no mention of disarmament, one of the key requirements under the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which the group has so far refused.
The announcement changes little on the ground, where Hamas and its security forces maintain firm control of the portion of Gaza not occupied by the Israeli military. But the symbolic move puts the focus of the ceasefire agreement back on Israel, as President Donald Trump has pressured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with elements of the plan. That includes the establishment of “pilot areas” in Gaza in which Palestinians would live under the technocratic committee.
Hamas appealed to mediators and the international community to push for Israel to allow the committee to enter Gaza.
“We call on all concerned and relevant parties to immediately accelerate the steps for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) to enter quickly and assume its national and administrative duties and responsibilities, in order to strengthen the steadfastness of our noble Palestinian people and heal their wounds,” al-Thwabta said in a statement at the Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital in Gaza City.
The Board of Peace, which was created to advance the ceasefire agreement, said it had “taken note” of Hamas’ announcement, but that it would wait for “actions, not promises.” In a statement on X, the board called on Hamas to disarm, saying, “The core principle remains one authority, one law and one weapon.”
Muhammad Shehada, a Gaza expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described the statement as Hamas’ attempt to “talk over Netanyahu’s head” and appeal to Trump.
“The Israelis (are) saying that Hamas is refusing to leave government and particularly security, so what they (Hamas) tried to emphasize in this statement is that they’re willing to give up everything vis-a-vis governance from A to Z,” Shehada told CNN.
Hamas sees the committee as “the only way” to put a Palestinian government in Gaza that the international community will recognize without reservations, Shehada said, describing it as a “savvy move.” But he said it likely comes too late.
“Even if that bet pays off – even if Trump is convinced, and even if everything goes according to plan – Israel still has ultimate control over everything in Gaza,” he said. “Israel would still foil NCAG.”