Hamas announced on Monday that it is dissolving its government in Gaza, a move intended to facilitate the transfer of administrative authority to a UN-backed committee of technocrats. Ismail al-Thawabta, the general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, stated during a press conference at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah that only technical and professional personnel would remain in their roles to manage the enclave’s daily operations.
While Hamas described the decision as a commitment to the reconstruction of Gaza following years of war, the group did not clarify if it intended to disarm or surrender security control to an international force. The new governing entity, known as the Board of Peace and led by President Donald Trump, acknowledged the announcement but emphasized that it would judge the move based on actions rather than promises. The board reiterated that the technocratic committee must maintain control over all weapons in Gaza, as stipulated in the existing ceasefire agreement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the announcement, characterizing it as a tactical attempt to avoid disarmament. He stated on X that any civilian government established under these conditions would ultimately operate according to Hamas’s dictates so long as the group retains its weaponry. Meanwhile, Ali Shaath, a Gaza-born engineer and former Palestinian Authority official who chairs the Cairo-based technocratic committee, noted that for the committee to function, there must be a singular governing authority operating under one legal framework and a unified security apparatus.
The political transition comes as the region continues to face violence. On Monday, Israeli strikes killed at least five people, including three individuals in Khan Younis and two in an apartment in Gaza City. The Israeli military stated that the strikes targeted a Hamas operative and a militant from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. Amidst the ongoing destruction of energy infrastructure, civilians continue to suffer in intense heat, forced to rely on manual methods to keep cool.
Nine months after the ceasefire was signed, negotiations remain deadlocked regarding the second phase of the agreement, which includes the reconstruction of Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas. Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which resulted in 1,200 deaths in Israel and the taking of 251 hostages, Israel’s offensive has killed 73,098 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry. While daily airstrikes have decreased since the Oct. 10 ceasefire, they persist, and five Israeli soldiers have been killed by militant fire since the agreement took effect.
Palestinians look at a destroyed car following an Israeli military strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, July 6, 2026, that, according to hospital officials, killed at least one person. (AP Photo/Mohammad Jahjouh)
Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
