Hamas has dissolved the body that governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, in a move seen as a significant shift in the group’s political approach and one that paves the way for a technocratic committee to oversee the territory’s civilian administration. The group has governed Gaza since 2007, after its forces seized control of the territory from the rival Fatah movement. Hamas had won the Palestinian parliamentary elections a year earlier. Since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect in October 2025, Hamas has repeatedly said it was prepared to relinquish day-to-day governance of Gaza. However, the issue of the group’s disarmament remains unresolved. The head of Hamas’s Government Media Office told AFP that Mohammad Farra, head of the government’s emergency committee, had formally submitted his resignation. He added that the committee had also been dissolved to facilitate the transfer of administrative and governmental responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. The committee, which is based in Cairo, was established by US President Donald Trump’s peace team during mediation efforts that led to the October 2025 ceasefire. A Hamas spokesperson told AFP that the group had taken “a new step” and would no longer be responsible for administering the Gaza Strip, saying the move was intended to remove what it described as any pretext for Israel to continue its military campaign in the territory.
