Hamas Dissolves Its Gaza Government, Plans to Hand Power to UN-Backed Technical Committee

Hamas announced Monday that it has dissolved its government in Gaza and intends to hand administrative control to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a technocratic body backed by the United Nations and chaired by Ali Shaath, a Gaza-born engineer and former Palestinian Authority official based in Cairo. Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, said at a press conference in Deir al-Balah that "only technical and professional staff" would remain in their positions to run day-to-day services. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called the dissolution "a positive step forward on the path to implement the ceasefire deal," according to PBS. The announcement comes roughly nine months after a ceasefire was signed. The NCAG has existed for about six months but has NOT yet entered Gaza, blocked by Israeli objections, according to reporting from Shafaq News citing Asharq Al-Awsat.

What the Board of Peace Said

The Board of Peace, the entity created under President Donald Trump's mandate to govern and rebuild Gaza, acknowledged the Hamas announcement but was direct: it will assess the move based on "actions, not promises." The board posted on X that the technocratic committee must controlall weapons in Gaza, as specified in the ceasefire agreement. That weapons clause is the central unresolved issue. Hamas has insisted on fully implementing the ceasefire's first phase before negotiating its disarmament under phase two. Netanyahu has said reconstruction will not proceed without Hamas giving up its weapons. According to Shafaq News, negotiations are currently focused on the agreement's eighth clause, which governs the future of weapons in Gaza.

Israel's Response Israel dismissed the move outright

An unnamed Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told PBS: "The alleged resignation of the Hamas government, where all of the Hamas members stay in their positions, is a spin that has no significance." Hamas did not announce the surrender or disarmament of its military wing. Fighters are not laying down weapons. What's changing, if anything changes on the ground, is who signs the paperwork for Gaza's water pumps and hospital supplies.

Hamas's Counter-Argument Administrative separation from military posture is a real

distinction, and demanding both simultaneously may be an impossible standard. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim argued, according to Roya News, that Palestinian factions have fulfilled all obligations under the ceasefire agreement as verified by international mediators and the United States. Naim attributed the stalled second phase to what he called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's deliberate evasion, accusing the Israeli leader of sabotaging the deal for domestic political survival. Whether that characterization is accurate or self-serving is impossible to verify independently. Netanyahu has publicly maintained that Gaza no longer poses a military threat to Israel due to what he described as a "new security zone" established by the Israeli military's continued presence in roughly 70% of Gaza's territory, per Shafaq News.

Talks Continuing in Cairo

According to Shafaq News, Hamas and other Palestinian factions were expected to meet in Cairo within two days of the July 5 report to narrow remaining disputes. Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators have resolved several issues in the negotiation. Nickolay Mladenov, the High Representative for Gaza, arrived in Egypt to participate alongside U.S. Hamas, per the same report, supports placing weapons under a Palestinian governing body gradually while demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from territory still under Israeli control.

The Numbers Behind the War

The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. Israel's subsequent military campaign has killed 73,098 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, as reported by PBS. The Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-led government but is staffed by medical professionals; UN agencies and independent researchers generally treat its casualty data as broadly reliable.

The Unresolved Question

The dissolution of Hamas's civilian government is a structural shift that removes one formal obstacle to the NCAG assuming its role. But whether Israel will permit the NCAG to physically enter Gaza, which it has blocked for six months, depends on whether phase-two disarmament talks produce anything real. That negotiation, stuck on clause eight of the roadmap, is the only metric that matters. Until it moves, Monday's announcement changes the org chart. It does not change the war.