Hamas announces dissolution of Gaza governing body

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, July 7 (AFP): Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced Monday the dissolution of the body that has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, clearing the way for a technocratic committee to administer the territory.
The move marks a significant political shift by Hamas, which has run Gaza since its fighters seized control from rival Palestinian movement Fatah in 2007 after winning legislative elections the previous year.
Since a ceasefire took effect in Gaza last October between Hamas and Israel, the group has repeatedly said it is prepared to step aside from day-to-day governance, but the thorny issue of its disarmament remains unresolved.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Hamas's media office in Gaza said the head of the government's emergency committee had "decided to dissolve the committee to facilitate the administrative and governmental transition to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)".
The NCAG, currently based in Cairo, was created by the Board of Peace that US President Donald Trump established when he brokered the ceasefire in October 2025.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that the group took the decision to relinquish charge "in order to remove any pretexts for the occupation, which continues its aggression and war of extermination".