The militant group Hamas has announced it will dissolve its civilian administration in Gaza as part of a fragile US-brokered ceasefire, but residents report that most institutions continue to operate as before. Eyad Saleh, a 19-year-old student, went to the usual government offices to retrieve a copy of his university diploma lost during the war.
"There's nowhere else to go in Gaza except the institutions run by Hamas," Saleh told DW from Gaza City. "The only entity providing services to residents is the same body that was in place before the war, with the same employees." He hopes to apply for a scholarship abroad to escape Gaza.
Na'ama Saeed, 39, who suffers from a chronic disease, visited the Ministry of Health this week to obtain a medical referral. "The responsible authority in Gaza is still the Ministry of Health, and it is the only entity authorized to issue the necessary official documents," she said. "If there were another official body, we would not hesitate."
The US peace plan from October 2025 outlined a new administration of independent technocrats. The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a transitional body of Palestinian experts supervised by the Board of Peace, was established by US President Donald Trump and began work in early 2026. However, its 15 members remain stuck in Cairo, awaiting Israeli permission to enter Gaza.
"There is no change, nobody is stepping in to take over," said Ghassan Khatib, a lecturer at Bir Zeit University. Hamas has stated that its ministries will stay in place with their staff, while it continues to oversee security and policing in parts of Gaza under its control.
Israel has vowed to "eliminate Hamas," but the group remains in power in about 30% of Gaza, while Israeli troops occupy the remaining 70%. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describes the partition as a buffer zone. The ceasefire process has stalled, with both sides trading blame for violations. Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2025, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
A key sticking point is the decommissioning of Hamas's weapons. Hamas refuses to disarm until Israel halts attacks and withdraws. Political analyst Ibrahim al-Madhoun called the handover of civilian administration "an attempt to break the deadlock." Protests are regularly suppressed, and polls show 60% of Gazans distrust all political factions.
UN Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov condemned Hamas for obstructing humanitarian operations, accusing armed men of breaking into a food distribution point. Hamas denied the allegations. Student Eyad Saleh, speaking cautiously, said: "I believe Gaza deserves better than Hamas and better than any other political faction in Palestine, because they have all failed."
Source: www.dw.com