TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Early this week, Hamas, the militant group which controls the Gaza Strip, announced that it would dissolve its government and hand over administrative authority after almost two decades in power.
The group said the move is intended to pave the way for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), which is set to take over civilian administration as part of the US-brokered peace plan from October 2025.
However, it remains controversial whether the announcement actually marks a political turning point or is primarily symbolic. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar immediately reacted with skepticism, stating that as long as Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Germany, the European Union, the US, and other countries, retains its weapons, any civilian government will ultimately act according to Hamas's directives.
Saar also reiterated that the complete disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip remain prerequisites for political reorganization.
Neither symbolism nor a relinquishment of power
Many observers see this step as neither mere symbolism nor a genuine relinquishment of power, but rather as an attempt to revive the political process, which has been stalled for months, without committing to disarmament just yet.
In October 2025, the US peace plan had already outlined a new administration consisting of independent technocrats. The NCAG, a transitional body made up of Palestinian experts the Board of Peace established by Donald Trumpoversees, began its work in January 2026. However, its members still remain in Cairo, Egypt, awaiting permission to enter Gaza.
For Simon Wolfgang Fuchs, an Islamic studies scholar who teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, it is not so much the formal dissolution of the Hamas government as its political message that is decisive.
"With its unusually restrained public appearance, Hamas wanted to signal that the group was not to blame for the lack of political progress," Fuchs told DW.
He said that unlike in earlier public appearances, Hamas deliberately refrained from any hostile displays and sought to convey the impression that it is adhering to the US-brokered peace plan and is prepared to move forward with it.
Kickstarting Gaza's transition process
Under the peace plan, the technocratic transitional administration was supposed to have begun its work, and Israel was supposed to have gradually withdrawn its troops from the Gaza Strip.
"In fact, the opposite has happened," said Fuchs.
Israel has more control over the Gaza Strip today than it did a few months ago. That is why Fuchs sees Hamas's statement as an attempt "to break out of this deadlock and get the political process moving again."
The Washington Institute, a think tank, noted as early as February that the transfer of civilian administration to a technocratic transitional government had been part of the US peace plan from the outset.
This week, the British newspaper The Guardian quoted Middle East experts Max Rodenbeck and Muhammad Shehada as saying that Hamas wants to deprive Israel of the argument that reconstruction is failing because of its rule while at the same time increasing political pressure on Israel and the US. In their view, the issue is now less about who governs Gaza and more about the conditions under which reconstruction can begin.
Nevertheless, significant doubts remain. Although Hamas has declared its willingness to hand over civilian administration, it has not done so with regard to its weapons. Numerous analyses identify this as the actual point of contention. According to the think tank Security Council Report, which provides input to the UN Security Council, the Board of Peace's report calls for a 15-point roadmap under which Hamas would relinquish all military, police and administrative functions, and a transitional administration would be assumed solely by a body of technocrats.
According to the roadmap developed by the Board of Peace, the disarmament of Hamas and the gradual Israeli withdrawal are to proceed in parallel. The Security Council Report emphasizes that these interlinked steps have so far stalled, thereby blocking the transition process.
Israel-Hamas conflict remains unresolved
Fuchs considers the military issue to be the decisive litmus test, too. On the one hand, there are indications that Washington currently wants to prioritize the establishment of a civilian administration over the immediate disarmament of Hamas. On the other hand, this is precisely what explains Israeli skepticism.
"There is concern there that while Hamas may want to discuss civilian structures, it is postponing the military question indefinitely," Fuchs said.
In addition, the announced transfer of power has had virtually no practical consequences so far. The members of the transitional government remain outside the Gaza Strip; there is a lack of funds, personnel and security forces; and the international stabilization force exists only on paper so far. The ministries are to continue their work for the time being.
"At the moment, the dissolution of the administration is primarily symbolic," Fuchs said. "That's why, for now, everything remains the same."
The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post points to another possible scenario: Hamas could dissolve its government and step back from direct responsibility, while retaining its influence behind the scenes. The authors wonder whether the organization is actually relinquishing power or merely changing its role.
It remains to be seen whether Hamas's statement will actually usher in a political breakthrough. While it could get the stalled process moving again, it does not resolve the conflict. As long as the transitional administration cannot begin its work and there is no progress on security, disarmament, or reconstruction, the move is likely to remain one thing above all else: a political signal with an uncertain outcome.
Read: UN Says Israeli Restrictions Reduce Aid Deliveries to Gaza
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