DOHA: A Hamas source close to the group’s negotiating committee said on Sunday that it will not participate in post-war Gaza governance.
The comments come as world leaders prepare to converge on Egypt for a Gaza peace summit days after an Israel-Hamas ceasefire took effect.
“For Hamas, the governance of the Gaza Strip is a closed issue,“ the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
“Hamas will not participate at all in the transitional phase, which means it has relinquished control of the Strip, but it remains a fundamental part of the Palestinian fabric.”
Both sides are discussing implementing US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war, which calls for Hamas’ disarmament and exclusion from post-war Gaza administration.
The source indicated Hamas agrees to a long-term truce where its weapons would not be used except if Israel attacks Gaza.
However, the group has consistently described disarmament as a red line, with another Hamas official earlier telling AFP that disarmament was “out of the question.”
Trump’s plan calls for Gaza to become a “deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors” and states Hamas should have no governance role.
It also demands that Hamas’ military infrastructure and weapons be “destroyed and not rebuilt.”
A temporary technocratic and apolitical Palestinian committee would handle day-to-day public services under the proposed arrangement.
The source close to negotiators said they requested mediator Egypt call a meeting before the end of next week to agree on the committee’s composition.
“Hamas, along with the other factions, have submitted 40 names,“ the source added.
“There is absolutely no veto over them, and none of them belong to Hamas.” – AFP