Hamas Seeks Role for Its Police in Gaza Ahead of Disarmament Talks, Sources Say

Current section According to sources who spoke with Reuters, Hamas called on its civil servants and security personnel to cooperate with the U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee set to oversee Gaza; This, as Hamas promises to disarm and relinquish power of the Strip to Trump-backed authorities Print in a simple, ad-free format Ad-free and in a comfortable reading format Hamas is seeking to incorporate its 10,000 police officers into a new U.S.-backed Palestinian administration for Gaza, sources say, a demand likely to ‌be opposed by Israel as the group debates whether to surrender its arms. As part of efforts to establish a policing force to help rehabilitate Gaza, the Board of Peace plans to bring in some 20,000 Palestinian officers. About half of them are expected to be recruited from Gaza, with the remainder coming from the West Bank. According to a source familiar with efforts of security coordination, these officers would be allowed to enter Gaza only if they accompany an international stabilization force, which has yet to be established amid concerns among potential contributing countries about the safety of their troops. The 20-point plan set forth by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza, now in its second phase, calls for the governance of Gaza ‌to be handed to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body with U.S. oversight that is meant to exclude Hamas. In a letter to staff on ‍Sunday, seen by Reuters, Hamas urged its more than 40,000 civil servants and security personnel to cooperate with the NCAG but assured them it was working to incorporate them into the new government. That would include the roughly 10,000-strong Hamas-run police force, four sources familiar with the matter said, a demand that has not been previously reported. ‍Many of them have been patrolling Gaza as Hamas reasserts its grip in areas under its control. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Reuters the group was prepared to hand over governance to the 15-member NCAG and its chair, Ali Shaath, with immediate effect. "We (have) full confidence that it will operate based on benefiting from qualified personnel and not wasting the rights of anyone who worked during the previous period," Qassem said. The four sources said Hamas is open to the NCAG restructuring ministries and sending some workers into retirement. Mass dismissals risked chaos, the sources said. Another issue was whether Sami Nasman, the former Palestinian Authority general assigned to oversee security under the NCAG, would be able to operate effectively, a Palestinian official said. Trump's administration wants to see heavy ‌weapons decommissioned immediately, with "personal arms registered and decommissioned by sector as (the) NCAG police become capable of guaranteeing personal security," according to a document shared by the White ‍House last week. The militant group ⁠is still believed to possess rockets, which several diplomats estimated to number in the hundreds. It is also estimated to possess thousands of light weapons, including rifles. A Palestinian official close to the disarmament talks said the U.S. had approached Hamas to explore potential disarmament mechanisms. "Hamas has spoken about the possibility of neutralizing arms, which could be achieved if there is a truce, and it is ready for a long-term cease-fire – five years or a little longer," the official said. About a year and a half ago, as part of the Biden administration's efforts to begin unilateral progress on the "Day After" the war in Gaza, 2,000 Palestinian police officers from the West Bank, about a tenth of the planned total began training in Jordan, and were planned to later enter the Gaza Strip and keep the peace and order in the enclave. Trump's Board of Peace Comprised of heads of state, invited by Trump. Trump chairs the board, and its votes and decisions will be subject to his approval. Terms will be limited to three years and will be renewable with his approval, except for countries that contribute more than $1 billion in the first year. Will be tasked with setting the agenda for the Board of Peace.Members include Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio, Tony Blair, businessman Mark Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel.Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum are senior advisers. The Office of the High Representative will be headed by former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov. The White House described his role as an "on-the-ground link between the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG." The Gaza Executive Board will support the Office of the High Representative.Though the scope of its authority is unclear, its members include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi; Egypt's spychief Hassan Rashad; Emirati Minister Ebrahim al-Hashimy; former Middle East envoy for the UN, Sigrid Kaag; Cypriot-Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay; Marc Rowan; Nickolay Mladneov; Tony Blair; Steve Witkoff; and Jared Kushner. The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is a technocratic committee made up of Palestinians overseen by the Office of the High Representative. Dr. Nabil Ali Shaath, who previously served as deputy transportation minister in the Palestinian Authority, will lead the committee.It is unclear whether the new administration will enjoy real freedom of action or broad public legitimacy. The original plan was to recruit around 10,000 police officers from the West Bank, but the initiative encountered numerous obstacles and was shelved, likely due to a lack of motivation among officers to risk their lives in the Gaza Strip. What was meant to increase their willingness to serve in the Gaza Strip was the promise that they would receive their full salaries, not just a portion, as Palestinian Authority employees have been receiving since 2021 (according to UN data). A former U.S. official involved in the recruitment and vetting of the Palestinian officers told Haaretz that the officers sent for training to eventually serve in Gaza underwent rigorous screening by the Israeli defense establishment, the U.S., and Jordan.