A man carries a jerrycan as he walks past tents sheltering people displaced by the Israeli war, pitched near the heavily damaged Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani mosque in northwestern Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
The move marks a significant political shift by the Hamas resistance group, which has run Gaza since it seized control from rival Palestinian movement Fatah in 2007 following elections.
Since a ceasefire took effect in Gaza last October following Israel's genocidal war, the group has repeatedly said it is prepared to step aside from day-to-day governance.
"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," a Hamas official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Hamas's media office in Gaza said it would hold "an important press conference" later on Monday, without providing details.
A second Hamas official said the group had already informed other Palestinian factions of the move at a recent meeting in Cairo.
"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 said.
The dissolution of the Hamas body paves the way for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), headed by Palestinian official Ali Shaath, to assume administrative responsibilities.
The NCAG was established by the Board of Peace, which was in turn set up by US President Donald Trump when he brokered the ceasefire.
But it has remained based outside Gaza for months, due to Israeli objections to its entry into the war-devastated territory.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions have held several rounds of talks in Cairo with mediators to narrow differences, particularly over the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
However, the transition to the second phase, which was to involve a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and Hamas's disarmament, has been stalled for months.
Israeli forces have actually expanded their presence in the territory in recent months, taking control of nearly 70 percent, rather than withdrawing as stipulated by the deal.
Meanwhile, Hamas is demanding the establishment of a Palestinian administration before handing over any part of its arms.
The question of Gaza's post-war governance remains one of the main sticking points in negotiations on implementing phase two, as Israel rejects any return of Hamas to power, but also rejects any takeover by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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