Hamas announces it will leave Gaza government and opens the way for civilian leadership

Hamas' move puts pressure on Israel to comply with other parts of a peace agreement drawn up by the United States that is currently at a standstill. The terrorist group's pledge to abolish the body responsible for overseeing Palestinian ministries was a central part of US President Donald Trump's post-war Gaza plan.

The Gaza Strip has been administered by the terrorist group since 2007, when its fighters took control of the territory from the rival Palestinian movement Fatah, after winning legislative elections the previous year.

The measure, therefore, represents a significant political change for the group. Since a ceasefire came into effect, Hamas has said it is willing to step back from day-to-day administration of the territory. However, the delicate issue of its disarmament remains unresolved.

"The head of the government's emergency committee, Mohammed al-Farra, has officially submitted his resignation," Ismail al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas government press office, told AFP.

"He also decided to dissolve the committee to facilitate the administrative and governmental transition to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)," he added.

The committee, currently based in Cairo, was created by the Peace Junta established by Trump when he brokered the ceasefire. "Hamas has taken a new step by ceasing to be responsible for the Gaza Strip, with the aim of eliminating any pretexts for the occupation, which continues its aggression and war of extermination," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP.

Even so, Hamas stated that the officials appointed by the group will remain in their positions and that it will continue to be responsible for security and policing in the areas of the territory that remain under its control.

NCAG claimed to be ready to govern Gaza.

"We reaffirm that the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities as soon as the necessary resources and capabilities are available," wrote Palestinian Ali Shaath, head of the body, in X.

"The fundamental requirements for the success of the committee are a single authority, a single law with a clear mandate and a single armed force under the authority of that single entity," he added. Shaath is a former Transport Minister of the Palestinian Authority, an entity that partially governs the occupied West Bank.

The Peace Junta reported that it was aware of Hamas' announcement and advocated that all weapons in Gaza be under the control of the NCAG. "The fundamental principle continues to be: a single authority, a single law and a single weapon", wrote the entity in X.

Israel did not immediately comment on the decision. Hamas accuses Binyamin Netanyahu's government of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and failing to comply with other parts of the plan, which calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as Hamas surrenders its weapons.

The small coastal enclave remains in ruins more than two and a half years after the most recent conflict in Gaza, sparked by Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Under the Trump-backed plan, Hamas must transfer government oversight to this National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, made up of Palestinian technocrats with US support.

The committee's chairman, Ali Shaath, stated that the group, made up of 15 members, is ready to assume its responsibilities in Gaza as soon as "the necessary resources and adequate conditions for its functioning are available."

"The fundamental requirements for the success of the commission are the existence of a single authority, a single legislation under a clear institutional framework and a single armed apparatus subordinate to that authority," Shaath wrote in a Facebook post.

Israeli troops control more than 60% of the Gaza Strip and patrol what Tel Aviv describes as a security zone designed to prevent Hamas attacks. Netanyahu's government claims that Israel does not intend to withdraw from the territory.

Israel's military campaign has devastated Gaza and displaced virtually its entire population of 2 million, most of whom now live in tents or damaged buildings on a narrow coastal strip governed by Hamas.

Gaza health authorities reported that an Israeli airstrike killed a couple inside an apartment in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City on Monday.

Two other attacks - one against a tent housing displaced people and another against a vehicle in Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip - killed three people and left at least 20 others injured, according to doctors. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incidents.

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