The Palestinian group Hamas has announced the dissolution of the body that has governed Gaza for nearly two decades, paving the way for a technocratic committee to implement civilian rule in the war-ravaged, besieged territory.
The move on Monday marks a significant political shift by Hamas, which has governed Gaza since its fighters seized control from rival Palestinian movement Fatah in 2007 after Hamas won legislative elections the previous year.
Since a US-brokered “ceasefire” with Israel took effect in Gaza last October, the group has repeatedly said it is prepared to step aside from day-to-day governance, but the question of its disarmament remains unresolved.
Mohammed al-Farra, head of the government’s emergency committee, “has decided to submit his official resignation from his position and to announce the dissolution of the Government Emergency Committee, as a demonstration of the seriousness of these measures, in implementation of the agreed arrangements, and to facilitate the administrative transition process”, read a statement released by Gaza’s Government Media Office on Monday.
A Hamas official said the group wished for the swift entry of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a body tasked with overseeing the future administration of Gaza under a US-backed plan to end Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.
“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 the AFP news agency.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said Hamas’s announcement appears to be “politically significant”, but stressed that the move doesn’t mean Hamas is relinquishing its political or military role, but rather “stepping back from the direct civilian government in Gaza”.
The head of the NCAG welcomed Hamas’s announcement, stating that the committee is “fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities as soon as the necessary resources and capabilities are available”.
Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative overseeing the US-founded Board of Peace for Gaza, said the decision “underscores the importance of bringing the roadmap discussions to a successful conclusion”. However, the NCAG has remained based outside Gaza for months, reportedly due to Israeli objections to its entry into the besieged enclave.
Israel has ruled out allowing Hamas to rule the enclave but has also rejected a direct takeover by the Palestinian Authority, which controls the occupied West Bank, at this stage.
Source: www.aljazeera.com