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What does Hamas' move to dissolve its Gaza government mean?

Hamas has agreed to hand civilian administration over to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, but the committee is not yet in Gaza and may not deploy until Hamas’ disarmament is resolved.

Government Media Office Director Ismail Thawabteh (R) and Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem (L) speak at a press conference.
Government Media Office Director Ismail Thawabteh (R) and Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem (L) speak at a press conference regarding the resignation of the head of the Government Emergency Committee and the acting head of Government Follow-up, the dissolution of the Government Emergency Committee, and the completion of preparations to transfer administrative tasks to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on July 6, 2026, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. — Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Hamas has agreed to dissolve its civilian government in Gaza, a move that fulfills a key requirement of a US-backed postwar plan but does not resolve the question of whether the group will give up its arms. 

What happened: Speaking at a press conference at a Gaza hospital on Monday, Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, said Hamas had dissolved the body that has overseen Gaza's ministries for more than a decade and was prepared to hand over civilian administration to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. 

The NCAG, a technocratic body headed by former Palestinian government official Ali Shaath, was established under a ceasefire framework brokered by the Trump administration last year. Although the committee was created to assume civilian administration in Gaza, it has yet to establish a presence in the enclave and has instead operated from Cairo, with reports that Israel has prevented its members from entering. 

The NCAG is one component of the larger Board of Peace initiative, a US-backed effort designed to manage Gaza's postwar transition. Responding to Hamas’ announcement on Monday, the Board of Peace posted on X that “our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises.” It added that the core principle of the framework is “one authority, one law and one weapon.”

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