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Hamas dissolves Gaza committee
Hamas dissolved its Government Emergency Committee in the Gaza Strip and said it would hand over control of the territory to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a move described as a pivot after nearly 20 years of governance.
“Following 20 years of governance shaped by a suffocating siege, deeply entrenched political divisions, and relentless military conflict, Hamas has officially dissolved its Government Emergency Committee in the Gaza Strip, a body that effectively ran the Palestinian territory”
The Al Jazeera timeline traces Hamas’s rise to January 26, 2006, when the group won 76 out of 132 seats in Palestinian parliamentary elections, defeating Fatah’s 43 seats, and it later says Hamas took full military and political control of the Gaza Strip by June 14, 2007.
France 24 reported that Head of the Hamas media office Ismaïl al-Thawabta said the head of Hamas’s “government emergency committee” had resigned, the body had been dissolved, and its “powers have been transferred to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza” (NCAG).
France 24 also said the NCAG is currently based in Cairo and is supervised by the Board of Peace created by US President Donald Trump during negotiations that brought about the ceasefire in place between Israel and Hamas since October 2025.
The Al Jazeera account links the shift to the war that began after Hamas fighters led an attack on southern Israel in October 2023, when nearly 1,200 people were killed and Palestinian fighters took more than 200 captives to Gaza, followed by Israel’s war in which more than 70,000 people have since been killed.
Israel dismisses, UN watches
Israel’s government quickly dismissed Hamas’s announcement, with France 24 saying the Israeli government dismissed it as a “stunt” to avoid disarmament, and it added that Benjamin Netanyahu has recently said he wants his country to control 70 percent of the Gaza Strip “soon”.
France 24 also quoted Jean-Paul Chagnollaud saying the move is a “gesture” by the militant group to improve the situation in Gaza but may not be enough, and he warned that Israel is blocking the Palestinian committee from entering Gaza.
In a separate account, Greatreporter said the announcement was met with skepticism from Israel and the UN-mandated body overseeing the transition, which insisted that disarmament remains the core outstanding issue.
Greatreporter reported that Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem framed the decision as removing “pretexts for the occupation, which continues its aggression and war of extermination,” and it said the group told AFP that “the ball is now in the mediators’ court”.
Greatreporter further said the NCAG declared itself “fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities,” while Israel continues to control approximately 70% of Gaza’s territory and has carried out near-daily strikes since the October 2025 ceasefire, with over 1,000 Palestinians killed in that period.
Disarmament and entry stall
Multiple reports tied the stakes of Hamas’s dissolution to whether the NCAG can actually take over and whether disarmament will be addressed, with Long War Journal saying the Board of Peace had “taken note” and that its “assessment will be guided by actions, not promises.”
“Hamas withdrawal from Gaza governance a bid to unblock 'deadlocked' peace plan Nearly 20 years after taking power in Gaza, Hamas said on Monday it would hand over control of the territory to a committee of Palestinian technocrats”
Long War Journal said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar panned the announcement on July 7, saying the group would also need to disarm as part of the ceasefire agreement agreed to in October 2025, and it quoted Saar saying Israel remains committed to implementing President Trump’s plan “with the disarmament of Hamas and all other terrorist organizations and the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip at its core”.
Muslim Network TV reported that Hamas accused Israel of deliberately obstructing the transfer of Gaza’s civilian administration to the National Committee, warning the move is intended to create an “administrative vacuum” and deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Muslim Network TV also said Hamas urged mediators and guarantor states to intervene urgently and pressure Israel to halt what it described as deliberate obstruction, while it described the resignation of Mohammad Abdul Khaleq al-Farra and the formal dissolution of Gaza’s Government Emergency Committee as steps linked to the handover.
NBC News added that the NCAG was established in January under Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict,” and it said the Board of Peace statement required “one authority, one law and one weapon” in Gaza, while Hamas’ announcement made no mention of disarmament.
