Hamas has announced the dissolution of the body that has governed Gaza for nearly two decades, a move that paves the way for a technocratic committee to implement civilian rule in the war-ravaged, besieged territory.

A statement released by Gaza’s Government Media Office disclosed that Mohammed al-Farra, Head of the government’s emergency committee, “has decided to submit his official resignation from his position and to announce the dissolution of the Government Emergency Committee, as a demonstration of the seriousness of these measures, in implementation of the agreed arrangements, and to facilitate the administrative transition process.”

The move marks a significant political shift by Hamas, which has governed Gaza since its fighters seized control from rival Palestinian movement Fatah in 2007 after Hamas won legislative elections the previous year.

Hamas did not say whether it planned to take the crucial step of disarming or handing over security to an international force, but described its decision as evidence of its commitment to Gaza’s reconstruction after years of war.

It was unclear if the decision, announced by a lower-level official, would lead to any meaningful change on the ground. The Board of Peace, the new entity led by President Donald Trump with the mandate of governing and rebuilding Gaza, said that it was aware of the Hamas announcement but would assess the impact based on “actions, not promises.”

The board stressed in a statement on X that the technocratic committee must control all weapons in Gaza, as laid out in the ceasefire agreement.

More to come…