Hamas accepts to implement next stage of Trump’s peace plan

• 

On July 6, Hamas announced that it was dissolving the body that has governed Gaza for the past two decades. The Hamas administration says it is prepared to hand over the civilian administration of the war-torn territory to a non-political technocratic committee proposed by Donald Trump as part of his peace plan for Gaza.

The announcement is part of the ceasefire agreement that Israel and Hamas signed last autumn.

Mohammed al-Farra, head of Hamas and the government's crisis committee, formally submitted his resignation and decided to dissolve the governing body in order to facilitate the administrative transition to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007. Its rule has been marked by restrictions on freedom of expression, violence, executions of political opponents, and persecution of homosexuals.

The announcement is an interesting development but its real significance remains unclear because Hamas says nothing about disarmament, which is also part of the ceasefire agreement with Israel. Nothing suggests Hamas is prepared to give up its weapons, and in the Middle East and Lebanon in particular, those who control the weapons are the ones who hold the real political power.

Hezbollah governs from below the surface, while someone else handles garbage collection, hospitals, and schools.

This could start a process that moves Gaza in a more positive direction. But some analysts say that this might be a deceiving move in which Hamas may be surrendering visible administrative responsibility while keeping the instruments that allow it to shape events behind the scenes. Certainly, Hamas has said nothing about its weapons, its military command structure, or who will control security on the ground. Hamas' power is built not only on offices, salaries, and municipal administration, but also on weapons, internal security networks, social influence, tunnel infrastructure, patronage, coercion, and the belief that armed resistance remains legitimate.

A solid interpretation of this announcement is that this move is aimed at pressuring Israel and convincing Donald Trump that Hamas is complying with the ceasefire agreement.

Israel says Hamas refuses to surrender power, especially over security matters. Through this statement, Hamas is trying to emphasize that it is willing to hand over everything related to governance.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the announcement as an attempt to avoid disarmament by stating: "As long as Hamas retains its weapons, any civilian government will in practice operate on Hamas' terms."

Trump's so-called Board of Peace, which is supposed to oversee the technocratic committee, stated on X that it had noted Hamas' announcement but would judge its significance based on "actions, not promises."

Following Hamas' announcement, the Cairo-based technocratic committee said it was ready to assume authority in Gaza.

But whether that can actually happen remains uncertain.

For the roughly two million Palestinians still living in Gaza, the future also remains unclear.

In early July, it had been 1,000 days since the war between Hamas and Israel began with Hamas' attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Although the ceasefire that took effect last autumn significantly reduced fighting, people continue to be killed almost daily, ceasefire progress has stalled, and Israel still controls large parts of the Gaza Strip.

These are the key points of Trump's Gaza peace plan;

Hamas must disarm and play no role in Gaza's future government.

Gaza will be temporarily governed by a non-political technocratic committee composed of Palestinian and international experts.

The committee will be overseen by Trump's Board of Peace, chaired by Donald Trump.

The temporary administration will eventually be replaced by reformed Palestinian authorities.

Israel will neither annex nor permanently occupy Gaza, and Israeli forces will withdraw gradually as the plan's objectives are met.

If all security requirements and reforms are fulfilled, the possibility of a Palestinian state with Palestinian self-government will be opened.