Hamas Dissolves Gaza Government, Offers to Transfer Power to UN-Backed Committee

Hamas announced it is dissolving its government in Gaza to transfer power to a UN-backed technocratic committee, a key step in a stalled US-brokered peace plan. The move was dismissed by Israel as a "stunt" to avoid disarmament, which remains a core dispute. The new committee, the NCAG, remains in Cairo, blocked from entering Gaza, while Israel has expanded its military control over most of the territory.

Hamas power transfer announcement

• ▪On July 6, 2026, Hamas announced the dissolution of its governing body in the Gaza Strip, which it has controlled since 2007
• ▪Mohammed al-Farra, head of Hamas's government emergency committee, officially resigned to facilitate the transition
• ▪Hamas will retain control over security and policing in the parts of Gaza not occupied by the Israeli military
• ▪The stated purpose of the dissolution is to transfer civilian administrative power to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)
• ▪Hamas clarified that its government ministries and their staff would remain in place to work under the new committee

NCAG transition obstacles

• ▪The NCAG is currently based in Cairo and has been prevented from entering Gaza, reportedly due to Israeli objections
• ▪The Board of Peace, an entity established by US President Donald Trump, was set up to oversee the NCAG and the ceasefire plan
• ▪The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) is a UN-backed group of technocrats chaired by Ali Shaath
• ▪In response to Hamas's announcement, the Board of Peace stated it would be guided by "actions, not promises."

Disarmament dispute

• ▪Hamas has stated it will not disarm until Israel halts attacks and withdraws its forces from Gaza
• ▪The US-brokered ceasefire plan's second phase, which includes Hamas's disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal, has been stalled for months
• ▪Ali Shaath, head of the NCAG, stated that a key requirement for the committee's success is "one weapon subject to that authority."
• ▪Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed Hamas's move as a "stunt" designed to prevent its own disarmament

Israeli settlement proposals

• ▪Analysts suggest Hamas's move aims to counter Israeli-led proposals to limit governance to "humanitarian cities" in Israeli-controlled parts of Gaza
• ▪These proposed zones have been called "New Rafah," a plan former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described as a "concentration camp."
• ▪Despite the ceasefire, Israel has expanded its military presence, controlling between 60% and 80% of the Gaza Strip

Regional diplomatic maneuvering

• ▪Israel rejects both a return of Hamas to power and a direct takeover of Gaza by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority
• ▪Analysts described the announcement as a symbolic gambit by Hamas aimed at reviving the stalled peace process and putting pressure on Israel
• ▪Hamas's power transfer is a component of a stalled US-brokered peace plan initiated by President Donald Trump's administration
• ▪Hamas informed other Palestinian factions of its decision at a meeting in Cairo, where the factions reportedly welcomed the move as a "serious step."