LONDON: Hamas says it has formally stepped aside from governing Gaza, dissolving the administrative body that has overseen the enclave throughout the war in a move analysts say is intended to pave the way for a technocratic administration — while leaving the group's military wing intact.
On July 6, Hamas’ Government Media Office announced that Mohammed Al-Farra, head of the Government Emergency Committee, had resigned and that the committee itself had been dissolved “to facilitate the administrative and governmental transition” to the US-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
The 15-member technocratic body was established under President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan and later endorsed in UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
The announcement followed months of signals that Hamas was prepared to relinquish day-to-day governance in favor of an interim technocratic administration in an effort to ease Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and political fragmentation, while retaining its armed capability.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. The assault triggered Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza, which has killed at least 75,000 people, according to local sources, and left much of the territory uninhabitable.
