Hamas has announced it will dissolve its government in the Gaza Strip after nearly two decades of rule and hand over power to a new Palestinian technocratic governing authority.
The move comes as a US-backed peace process, which resulted in a ceasefire last year, has largely stalled and as Israel’s bombardment of the Strip continues. Analysts say Hamas is likely seeking to pressure Israel by demonstrating to US President Donald Trump its commitment to handing over governance and allowing peaceful rebuilding.
“We hope that this important step on the ground will help bring an end to the aggression, stop the genocide, secure the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, reopen the crossings to allow the entry of aid trucks and end the policy of starvation,” Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Government Media Office, told Al Jazeera.
At least 1,005 people have been killed in Gaza since the US-brokered ceasefire was agreed in October 2025, and at least 73,098 people have been killed in total since Israel’s war began in October 2023. Israel continues to control about 70 percent of the besieged Strip.
Hamas’s head of administration, Mohammed al-Farra, resigned, and power is being transferred to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic body backed by the UN. NCAG was formed in January 2026 under UN Security Council Resolution 2803 as part of the US-backed peace plan.
However, Israel has not yet allowed NCAG members to enter Gaza. NCAG head Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath said the committee is ready to assume governance only if “fundamental” conditions are in place, including a single governing authority and unified security apparatus.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the move as a “trick,” stating: “As long as Hamas retains its weapons, any civilian government will operate as Hamas dictates.” Analyst Muhammad Shehada said the move is calculated to show Trump that Israel is obstructing the peace plan, while also blocking Israeli plans to limit any future administration to a small area called “New Rafah.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com