Hamas to quit governing Gaza under roadmap

Washington: Hamas has agreed to relinquish both its civilian and military role in governing Gaza under a new internationally backed roadmap that would hand control of the territory to a transitional Palestinian administration as part of a phased peace process, according to senior administration officials.

The proposal, announced by President Donald Trump as part of his Gaza peace initiative, goes beyond a ceasefire by outlining a detailed plan to dismantle Hamas’s governing structure. Instead a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, an independent Palestinian body would oversee both civilian administration and internal security during a transitional period.

Senior administration officials said the roadmap represents the first time Hamas has agreed to accept an international framework that requires it to surrender its governing role while allowing a new Palestinian authority to assume responsibility for administering Gaza.

The document states that all civilian and security responsibilities would be transferred to the National Committee, which would become the sole authority responsible for running public institutions, maintaining essential services and enforcing law and order across the Gaza Strip. It also calls for the committee to conduct a comprehensive audit of Gaza’s financial and administrative affairs before beginning reconstruction.

Senior administration officials said the committee would operate independently during the transition, with the roadmap specifically prohibiting interference by political factions in its work.

The proposal is built around the principle of “One Authority, One Law, One Weapon,” effectively ending the existence of parallel governing and security structures in Gaza. Under the roadmap, the National Committee would become the only body authorised to regulate weapons, issue licences and exercise policing powers.

The roadmap also seeks to prevent instability during the transition by requiring all Palestinian factions to sign a civil peace agreement banning revenge attacks, military parades, armed demonstrations and other actions that could undermine the transfer of authority. Responsibility for responding to internal security incidents would rest exclusively with the National Committee and its police force.

Senior administration officials said the broader objective is to create a technocratic administration capable of governing Gaza independently of both Hamas and existing political rivalries. They said the transitional body would draw on Palestinian professionals from Gaza, the West Bank and the wider diaspora to rebuild public institutions and restore essential services.

The officials said the roadmap also preserves the prospect of a future political role for the Palestinian Authority, but only after it completes reforms envisaged under the broader peace framework. During the transitional period, the National Committee would remain responsible for governing Gaza while maintaining coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

President Trump announced the agreement in a Truth Social post, calling it “a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people.”

He added: “Under this agreement, Gaza will finally be in the hands of a new Palestinian government that serves its PEOPLE.”

The governance provisions form one pillar of the broader roadmap, which also includes the phased disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups, deployment of an International Stabilization Force, gradual Israeli withdrawal and an internationally supervised reconstruction programme. Each stage would proceed only after verification that the commitments under the previous phase had been fulfilled.

–IANS