Hamas Officially Dissolves Gaza Governing Body

The Palestinian militant group Hamas officially announced on July 6 (local time) the dissolution of its governing body in the Gaza Strip, which has been in place for nearly 20 years.

With this move, the transition of post-war Gaza to a committee-led system of experts responsible for civil administration is expected to accelerate.

The Hamas Public Relations Office stated on this day, "Mohammed Al-Farra, head of the government's emergency committee, has submitted his official resignation.

He decided to dissolve the existing emergency committee to ensure a smooth administrative and power transition to the National Committee for Administrative Governance (NCAG) in the Gaza Strip."

The emergency committee was a temporary administrative organization operated under Hamas leadership after existing government ministries and police infrastructure were paralyzed during the early stages of the Gaza war, which broke out following Hamas's surprise attack in October 2023.

Hamas explained, "All public officials are prepared to work under the jurisdiction of the Gaza NCAG and will continue to provide administrative services as usual," adding, "With this, we have completed all administrative procedures necessary for the transfer of power."

The NCAG, which will take over security and administration in Gaza, is an organization established by the Peace Committee created by U.S. President Donald Trump while mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last October.

This action by Hamas is seen as a symbolic gesture demonstrating its willingness to hand over administrative authority in Gaza to the NCAG, in line with President Trump's peace initiative for the Gaza Strip.

Initially, the NCAG was unable to take power in Gaza due to Hamas's refusal to disarm.

Hamas had been delaying the transfer of power, claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was intentionally stalling negotiations and the implementation of the Trump peace plan—the post-war blueprint for Gaza—ahead of the Israeli elections scheduled for this coming October.

However, with Hamas formalizing the dissolution of its governing body, the situation in the Gaza Strip has entered a new phase.

It is reported that members of the NCAG held a preliminary meeting in Cyprus last week to discuss alleviating the suffering of Gaza residents and preparing for their full-scale administrative duties.

According to President Trump's post-war plan for Gaza, the Israeli military will only withdraw after the complete disarmament of militant groups within the Gaza Strip has been finally verified.

This marks the first time in nearly 20 years that Hamas has dismantled its governing body in Gaza.

After winning the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, Hamas formed an unstable unity government with the Fatah faction, which currently governs the West Bank.

However, as violent clashes between the factions intensified over the election results, Hamas completely expelled Fatah forces from the Gaza Strip in mid-June 2007 and seized control by force.
 
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.