Hamas on Monday dissolved its emergency governing body in war-torn Gaza, marking an end to its rule of nearly two decades that began with the ouster of its rival Palestinian movement Fatah in 2007.
The move clears the way for a Palestinian technocratic committee, officially known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a transitional, nonpartisan administrative body established to implement civilian rule in the strip.
The NCAG would in turn be supervised by the Board of Peace (BoP), an international coalition led by United States President Donald Trump.
Last October, a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Gaza. Since then, the militant group has asserted that it was ready to step aside from day-to-day governance of Gaza, but the issue of its disarmament remains unsolved.
According to a report by news agency AFP, a Hamas official said, "The movement has decided to dissolve the Gaza government committee and to appoint a nationally accepted figure to oversee the committee's work until the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza formally assumes its responsibilities."
Hamas's Gaza media house to hold press conference
Meanwhile, Hamas's media office in the war-torn strip said it would hold "an important press conference" later on Monday. The media office, however, did not provide any further details.
A second Hamas official cited by the report said that the group had already informed other Palestinian factions of the move during a recent meeting in Cairo and that the factions welcomed their decision.
"The factions welcomed Hamas's decision, describing it as a serious step towards enabling the National Committee to take up its governing role," the official was quoted as saying.
Although the BoP is formed, it has remained out of Gaza for months, specifically due to Israeli opposition. Hamas and Palestinian factions have been engaged in talks to narrow differences between them. These meetings are held in the presence of mediators in Cairo.
Second phase of ceasefire talks stalled
In the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, the release of the last Israeli hostages held by the group was discussed. The hostages were exchanged for Palestinians detained by Israel.
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The second phase was to involve two crucial aspects: Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. This has been stalled for months as the militant group is not agreeing to drop weapons, and Israel has, in effect, expanded its operations in recent months, maintaining control of nearly 70 per cent of the territory.
Hamas is reportedly seeking the establishment of a Palestinian administration before considering disarmament.