Hamas announced on Monday that it is dissolving the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, formally clearing the way for a Palestinian technocratic committee to take over civilian administration of the war-battered territory. Mohammed al-Farra, head of the "Government Emergency Committee," submitted his resignation, and Hamas said the committee itself has been dissolved, with powers transferred to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a body established under a UN Security Council resolution as part of the US-brokered ceasefire plan.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas' government media office, said the movement had made "all administrative and legal preparations" for the handover and called for the NCAG, headed by technocrat Ali Shaath, to "enter quickly and assume its national and administrative duties." Hamas also said the roughly 60,000 employees of Gaza's government would be treated as state employees able to continue working under the new administration.
Yet the move changes little on the ground for now. Hamas and its security forces continue to control the portions of Gaza not occupied by Israeli troops, and the NCAG remains stranded in Cairo, barred from entering the territory amid Israeli objections. Analysts described the announcement as largely symbolic — a political concession intended to shift pressure onto Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance stalled elements of the ceasefire deal, rather than an immediate transfer of real authority.
Notably, Hamas's statement made no mention of disarmament, one of the central unresolved requirements of the ceasefire's second phase. The group has signaled it will not surrender weapons until a Palestinian administration is firmly in place. The Board of Peace, the US-founded body overseeing implementation of the plan, said it had "taken note" of the announcement but was awaiting concrete steps before recognizing any real transfer of power. Its high representative, Nickolay Mladenov, called for rapid agreement on outstanding implementation issues so the NCAG can "assume its responsibilities," weapons decommissioning can begin, and Israeli forces can start withdrawing.
Palestinian factions, consulted by Hamas at a recent meeting in Cairo, reportedly welcomed the decision. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are said to be coordinating next steps, with further talks expected in Cairo within days. But with Israel yet to approve the NCAG's entry, disarmament unresolved, and no clear timeline set, Gaza's post-war governance remains suspended in uncertainty — caught between a symbolic resignation and the practical realities of who actually controls the territory.