Hamas has announced the dissolution of the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, clearing the way for a “technocratic committee” to take charge of civilian rule.
The move on July 6, 2026 marked a significant political shift for the Palestinian Islamist movement, which has run Gaza since seizing control from the rival Fatah movement in 2007.
Hamas said its “Emergency Committee”, which had overseen the enclave since 2023, would hand authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a body created under a plan championed by United States President Donald Trump.
“The head of the government’s emergency committee Mohammed al-Farra has officially submitted his resignation,” Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas’ government media office, told the AFP news agency.
He said only technical and professional staff would remain in place, in order to keep public services running and avoid an administrative vacuum.
The NCAG, headed by Palestinian “technocrat” Ali Shaath, was set up by the Board of Peace that Trump established after brokering an October 2025 ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
The committee has remained based in Cairo for months, reportedly because of Israeli objections to its entry into the war-devastated territory.
Shaath said the committee was “fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities” once the necessary resources became available.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told the same agency the group would “no longer be in charge of the Gaza Strip”, framing the decision as an effort to strip Israel of any pretext to continue the war.
The announcement made no mention of Hamas disarmament, a central Israeli demand and the main sticking point blocking the second phase of the ceasefire.
Israel dismissed the move. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the resignation “spin that has no significance”, noting that Hamas figures would keep their posts.
The Board of Peace, led by Trump, said it had noted the announcement though it would judge Hamas by “actions, not promises”.
It added that the “technocratic committee” must control all weapons in Gaza, as set out in the ceasefire agreement.
Israel rejects any return of Hamas to power, but it also opposes a direct takeover by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority at this stage.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions have held several rounds of talks in Cairo with mediators to narrow their differences over the stalled second phase, which envisages the group’s disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
