Photo: IANS
Hamas has announced that it is prepared to hand over governing authority in Gaza after two decades in power and has invited the US-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) to assume responsibility for administering the territory.
The announcement comes amid a partially observed ceasefire and an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. While Hamas said it was willing to transfer security responsibilities as part of a political transition, it did not indicate that it would unilaterally disarm, a key demand repeatedly made by Israel and the United States, The Guardian reported.
The NCAG, which was created in January as part of a US-brokered ceasefire arrangement, has reportedly been unable to enter Gaza because Israel has blocked its deployment, raising uncertainty over when any transfer of power could take place.
Analysts described Hamas' move as largely symbolic, suggesting it was aimed at reviving a stalled peace process that has delayed Gaza's reconstruction and humanitarian relief.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has backed the broader proposal, which officials have variously referred to as a "humanitarian city", "alternative safe communities" or "New Rafah". Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, however, has criticised the plan, describing it as a "concentration camp".
Mohammed al-Farra, who headed Hamas' administration in Gaza, announced his resignation and said authority would be transferred to the NCAG. He indicated that while Hamas would step aside from governing, civil servants and public employees would continue their duties until the interim administration is able to take over.
Despite the announcement, prospects for an immediate political transition remain uncertain. The NCAG, overseen by the Board of Peace established under the Trump administration's ceasefire initiative, consists of 13 members, most of them Palestinian professionals. However, they have reportedly remained in Cairo since January after being prevented by the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu from entering Gaza.
NCAG chair Ali Shaath said the committee was fully prepared to assume its responsibilities once the necessary resources and operational capacity became available.
In a report to the UN Security Council in May, Trump-appointed high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov blamed Hamas for the deadlock in the peace process.
Hamas has maintained that it will not surrender its weapons while Israel continues to control 60% of Gaza, carries out military operations and supports armed Palestinian groups inside the territory.
Critics argued that Mladenov's assessment lacked impartiality because it did not hold Israel accountable for ceasefire violations. In response to Hamas' latest announcement, the Board of Peace said only that it had taken note of the declaration.
Max Rodenbeck the Israel-Palestine project director at the International Crisis Group, said Hamas appeared to be looking for a way to break the political deadlock, given its limited leverage, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the Board of Peace's insistence on linking progress to Hamas' disarmament while overlooking Israeli military actions.
Visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations Muhammad Shehada stated that Hamas was aware that if the NCAG were to govern only the proposed "New Rafah" area, it could lose legitimacy by being viewed as administering isolated enclaves rather than the Gaza Strip as a whole.