Hamas prepares to hand Gaza control to technocrats

GAZA CITY

Hamas has announced that it instructed its governmental bodies in Gaza to prepare for the transfer of their authority to an independent committee of Palestinian technocrats, tasked with governing the strip under the ceasefire framework proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The announcement on Jan. 11 came ahead of Trump’s anticipated unveiling this week of the composition of the “Board of Peace,” which is set to supervise the Palestinian committee.

“Following President Trump’s declaration of his intention to establish a Board of Peace for the Gaza Strip, the Hamas movement has directed all government offices and agencies to prepare to relinquish their powers to this independent Palestinian technocratic committee,” Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem stated in a video briefing.

“This decision is definitive and final. Instructions have also been issued to ensure the smooth functioning of the Palestinian technocratic committee, in accordance with the broader national interest and the overarching plan to end hostilities in the Gaza Strip,” Qassem added.

Throughout much of the Gaza conflict, Hamas indicated a willingness to cede political control of the strip.

Egypt has spearheaded efforts to establish the technocratic committee, coordinating with the United States, Israel and various Palestinian factions.

According to an Arab diplomat, a list of 12 politically independent candidates was submitted to Israel’s Shin Bet security service, which approved eight of them.

While the Palestinian Authority lobbied for one of its ministers to either join or lead the committee, Israel rejected this proposal outright.

Instead, one member of the committee is expected to be a former Palestinian official, according to two sources familiar with the matter.