Hamas did not say whether it planned to take the crucial step of disarming or handing over security to an international force, but described its decision as evidence of its commitment to Gaza's reconstruction after yhears of war.
It was unclear if the move, announced by a lower-level official, would lead to any meaningful change on the ground.
The Board of Peace, the new entity led by President Trump with the mandate of governing and rebuilding Gaza, said it was aware of the Hamas announcement but said it would assess the impact based on “actions, not promises.” The board stressed in a statement on X that the technocratic committee must control all weapons in Gaza, as laid out in the ceasefire agreement.
At a news conference Monday, Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, said “only technical and professional staff” would remain in their positions to run the Palestinian enclave’s day-to-day affairs.
“All employees working in service provision are ‘state employees’ and are fully prepared to work under the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza,” al-Thawabta said during a press conference in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called it “a positive step forward on the path to implement the ceasefire deal.”
Israel dismissed the announcement as irrelevant. “The alleged resignation of the Hamas government, where all of the Hamas members stay in their positions, is a spin that has no significance,” an Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led terrorists led to the massacre of more than 1200 Israeli men, women and children and saw 251 others taken hostage.
