A Hamas source close to the negotiating delegation said on Sunday that the movement will not participate in governing Gaza in the transitional phase that follows the war with Israel, days after the ceasefire in the Strip entered into force.
The source told Agence France-Presse, requesting that his identity not be revealed due to the sensitivity of the issue: “For Hamas, the issue of governing the Gaza Strip is one of the closed issues. Hamas will not participate at all in the transitional phase, which means that it has abandoned rule of the Gaza Strip, but it remains an essential element of the Palestinian fabric.”
Divisions have previously emerged within the Hamas leadership over fundamental issues, including the future management of the Gaza Strip.
But Hamas leaders have long demonstrated a consensus that the movement’s disarmament is a red line.
The source added, “Hamas agreed to a long truce and not to use weapons at all during this period, except in the event of an Israeli aggression against Gaza.”
A leader in the movement had said earlier that the movement’s acceptance of handing over its weapons was “out of the question.”
In addition to the ceasefire and the release of detainees, Trump’s 20-point plan stipulates that Gaza’s affairs will be managed by a Palestinian committee of technocrats under the supervision of a “peace council” headed by Trump and with the membership of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, without Hamas having any role in governing the Strip.
The source said in this regard, “We asked the Egyptian side to call for a meeting before the end of next week to finalize the issue of the administrative committee,” adding that “the names are almost ready.”
He pointed out that “Hamas presented 40 names with the rest of the factions, and they have no veto at all, and none of them belong to Hamas at all.”
