Hamas Pledges to Dissolve Gaza Government as Israel Warns of Hezbollah-Style Shadow Rule

Hamas said Monday it is disbanding the emergency committee that has managed Gaza’s civilian administration, a step that may open the door for a new U.S.-supported governing body to assume responsibility for day-to-day affairs in the enclave.

That proposed authority, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), is backed by Washington and designed to manage Gaza’s civilian needs in the aftermath of the war.

Hamas, designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization, has controlled Gaza since taking power there in 2007. The group led the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel that set off the current war, and Israel has maintained that Hamas must have no military or governing role in any postwar arrangement for Gaza.

The move could become an important measure of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan and his wider regional diplomacy. If authority is genuinely transferred, it could help move forward efforts to create a postwar administration. However, Israel and other critics of Hamas argue the group may be seeking to shed the responsibilities of civil governance while keeping its weapons, security networks and effective power on the ground.

The Trump-led Board of Peace reacted with caution, saying it would judge the development by “actions, not promises.” The technocratic committee, currently operating from outside Gaza, has said it is ready to begin work when conditions on the ground make that possible.

Still, Hamas’ announcement made no pledge to disarm — a central Israeli demand and a key component of Trump’s proposed postwar framework.

Alaa Abo Naddi, a teacher and political activist from Gaza, said the committee being dissolved was never the true foundation of Hamas’ power.

“I believe this is simply an attempt by Hamas to buy time,” Abo Naddi said. “The real question has always been whether Hamas is willing to give up its weapons and dismantle the armed groups and militias under its control.” AJS: I’d move this up to maybe fourth graph. 

He said Gaza’s civilian officials have long operated without independent authority and remain subordinate to Hamas’ security apparatus.

“In reality, even a low-ranking Hamas security officer can overrule them or have them arrested,” he said. “As long as Hamas retains its arms, this looks like an attempt to preserve its control and gain more time.”

Hadeel Oueis, editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab media outlet Jusoor News, similarly described the announcement as a “performative step” likely encouraged by one of Hamas’ regional backers.

Oueis said the move appeared intended to send Trump a message that Hamas had fulfilled its obligations and that Israel was now responsible for blocking the next phase of his plan.

“This is just a show and doesn’t change anything on the ground in reality,” Oueis told INC News. 

She noted that technical employees are expected to remain in place during the transition, arguing that Hamas would therefore remain the de facto authority unless its security and military structures were removed.

RELATED: Unveiled: The Real Story Behind the Disappearance of the Boy Scout

Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center, also characterized the dissolution as largely symbolic but said its timing could signal a broader diplomatic effort.

Milshtein said Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have been working with Hamas to develop a compromise that could move the stalled post-war arrangement forward, particularly on the issue of disarmament.

Rather than demanding the immediate and complete surrender of Hamas’ weapons, he said the mediators may be pushing for a gradual and partial process that Hamas could accept.

“I assess that the step Hamas took today is part of a move coordinated with Turkey, Qatar and Egypt, intended to begin advancing the broader arrangement,” Milshtein told INC News.

He said Hamas had effectively thrown the ball into Israel’s court and could now argue that it had agreed to relinquish formal government control.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rejected that distinction Tuesday, accusing Hamas of trying to reproduce the model used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, where an armed organization maintains military dominance while civilian institutions handle government services.

“They don’t care if others collect the garbage, provide municipal services and administer civilian affairs, if Hamas will remain the dominant military force,” Sa’ar said during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

Sa’ar said Israel would continue to insist on the “disarmament of Hamas and all other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, and its full demilitarization.”

Wadephul backed that position, saying Hamas must relinquish both its weapons and its de facto control of Gaza.

The United Nations also offered a cautiously positive response.

 U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization had taken note of Hamas’ announcement concerning the dissolution of the Government Emergency Committee and the proposed transfer of administrative responsibilities to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

“We welcome any step that contributes to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and advances the objectives reflected in relevant Security Council resolutions, including the full implementation of the ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid,” Dujarric said.

He added that the U.N. continued to support “efforts toward unified Palestinian governance under the Palestinian Authority.”

Milshtein said the real test would be whether the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is allowed to enter Gaza, operate independently and exercise genuine authority, while Hamas gives up not only its civilian role but also its security and military control.