Hamas official resigns as Gaza governing body begins dissolution

Hamas on Monday announced that the head of the Emergency Committee had submitted his resignation, as the first step to dissolving the “committee for monitoring government activity,” the body that effectively serves as Hamas's government in the Gaza Strip.Even if the Board of Peace (BoP) welcomed the decision in a public statement, a diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas's announcement is still insufficient to allow the technocratic government (NCAG) to enter Gaza.A second diplomatic source said that Hamas has created significant obstacles in its recent talks with the BoP, as Hamas has reportedly walked back on several previous agreements and introduced new demands.Among other things, the terror group refused to allow access to weapons stored in tunnels as part of the demilitarization process and rejected the condition that all weapons in the Gaza Strip would be held exclusively by the technocratic government.The BoP responded to these demands in its statement: “The core principle remains: one authority, one law, and one weapon. This means that all arms must be consolidated under the control of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.”According to Hamas, the move is intended to allow the NCAG, headed by Ali Shaath, to enter the Gaza Strip and have administrative powers transferred over to it.Hamas also stated that “technical and professional staff” would remain in place to maintain continuity in service to civilians in Gaza.Following Hamas's announcement, the director-general of the BoP, Nickolay Mladenov, emphasized the importance of his roadmap for implementing the Gaza peace plan, which he announced in May.In a statement on X/Twitter, he described the roadmap as “the bridge between declarations and implementation.”Today's announcement in Gaza underscores the importance of bringing the Roadmap discussions to a successful conclusion. It is the bridge between declarations and implementation. The sooner agreement is reached on the outstanding implementation provisions, the sooner the @NCAG can…— Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov) July 6, 2026“The sooner agreement is reached on the outstanding implementation provisions, the sooner the NCAG can assume its responsibilities, the decommissioning of weapons and the withdrawal of Israeli forces can begin, and large-scale reconstruction can commence,” Mladenov stated.Against the backdrop of stalled talks between Hamas and the BoP, officials are looking to advance a measure that would give Gazans hope for a better future without being perceived as a reward for Hamas. Hamas has not yet disarmed, which is a requirement for US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan.A diplomatic source told the Post that the proposal is to establish a temporary residential caravan site. “The goal is to have it in place before winter, to demonstrate to Gazans that there is a path toward a better future in the Strip, while also weakening the terrorist organization's influence.”Israeli officials' reaction to Hamas's announcementIsraeli officials were far more blunt in their assessment, describing the move as a “ploy.” A senior official told the Post that Hamas's latest move is a bluff designed to ease the pressure on the group to disarm.“Hamas has consistently relied on deception and delay tactics. Every step it takes is aimed at avoiding disarmament and preserving its grip on power,” the official said, adding that Israel and the BoP are not falling for this tactic.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote on X that Hamas's willingness to “make way” for the technocratic government is intended to avoid being disarmed.“Hamas seeks a 'Hezbollah model' in Gaza,” Sa'ar wrote. “The technocratic committee would be responsible for garbage collection and municipal services, while Hamas would remain the dominant military force. As long as Hamas retains its weapons, the civilian government will inevitably operate according to its dictates. This would allow Hamas to continue oppressing Palestinians in Gaza while pursuing its jihad against Israel.”Cairo to host Hamas, Palestinian factions within 48 hoursIt was further reported that Cairo will host meetings within about 48 hours with the participation of the Palestinian factions, including Hamas.Sources added that there is information indicating that Mladenov arrived in Egypt to take part in the discussions alongside US officials operating within the framework of the BoP and the international stabilization forces.However, his participation could not be verified via a source on his behalf. Those close to him previously clarified that his participation depends on progress in negotiations over the agreement's clauses, following Hamas's and the factions' responses to the latest proposals.