Leaders of the militant Palestinian group Hamas announced on Monday that it will dissolve its governance structure in Gaza, complying with the terms of the US-brokered peace deal and welcoming an interim “technocratic” governing committee. Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades.
Dr. Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Government Media Office in Gaza, announced at a press conference that Hamas is disbanding its Government Emergency Committee. He called on “all concerned and competent parties to expedite the immediate steps” for the “National Committee of the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) to exercise its duties and responsibilities” on behalf of the Palestinian people.
According to Drop Site News, which spoke with Hamas officials, Dr. al-Thawabta assured that there “would be no obstacles from Gaza’s civil service,” and called on Israel to “withdraw its forces, stop the genocide and starvation, open the crossings, and let the NCAG in.”
However, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed doubt about the genuineness of the announcement, writing on X that it was a “trick.” The foreign minister said that Hamas is attempting to “prevent its own disarmament” and seeks to replicate the Lebanese paramilitary network Hezbollah. He called for the “complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.”
The US-brokered peace plan, implemented by President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, includes 20 comprehensive terms for both Israel and Hamas. Among these are terms to “demilitarize” Gaza “under the supervision of independent monitors.”
The general commissioner of the NCAG, Dr. Ali Shaath, welcomed the announcement in a statement on X. He said the NCAG “stands fully prepared to assume its national responsibilities.”
July 2, 2026, marked 1,000 days of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office announced that since the start of the war, at least 73,066 Palestinians have been killed.