Hamas dissolves Gaza government, but Israel says power shift is a stunt

Hamas dissolved its de facto government in Gaza and will hand civilian authority to a committee of Palestinian technocrats, but Israel dismissed the move as a stunt.

The body taking over is the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, led by Palestinian technocrat Ali Shaath and intended to manage civilian affairs under international supervision. Hamas said it had completed the administrative steps for a handoff, but its ministries and the staff it appointed would remain in place, and civil servants would keep working. Hamas would continue to oversee security and policing in parts of Gaza it still controls.

The Trump-appointed Board of Peace will monitor the postwar plan and judge the process by actions, not promises. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Hamas’s willingness to make room for technocrats was designed to avoid disarmament, arguing that any civilian government would still operate under Hamas’s direction as long as the group kept its weapons. Hamas has not said it will lay down arms or surrender security to an international force.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since violently seizing control from Fatah in 2007. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem called the dissolution a positive step toward implementing the ceasefire deal, while Palestinian technocrat Ali Shaath said the committee would need a single governing authority and a unified security apparatus to function effectively.

A joint United Nations, European Union and World Bank assessment released April 20, 2026 put recovery and reconstruction needs at $71.4 billion over the next decade, including $26.3 billion in the first 18 months. It found 371,888 housing units had been destroyed or damaged, 1.9 million people had been displaced, Gaza’s economy had contracted by 84 percent and human development had been set back by 77 years.

Israel and Hamas have also traded blame over the ceasefire itself. Hamas said Israel violated the truce and failed to withdraw forces as promised, while Israel said its strikes since the ceasefire were aimed at blocking militant threats. Gaza’s ministries, security forces and aid system remain divided.