Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and his German counterpart Johann Wadephul sharply criticized Hamas’s announcement that it would transfer Gaza governance to a national committee. Saar made clear this is a “trick” inspired by Hezbollah, designed to let the terror group dodge disarmament commitments it made under Trump’s peace plan while “maintaining control through repression.” German Foreign Minister Wadephul backed him up: “Hamas must be disarmed.”
2+FM Saar explained: “Hamas is trying to replicate the Hezbollah model in Gaza. Hamas’s latest trick is very simple. It says it will ‘make room’ for a technocratic government just to evade disarmament. It doesn’t care if others collect the garbage, provide municipal services, and handle civilian affairs, as long as Hamas maintains control while repressing ‘Palestinians’ in Gaza and continues its jihad against Israel.”
He added that Israel insists on implementing President Trump’s plan as written, with its core demand being the disarmament of Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza and full demilitarization of the Strip. “There is no real path to a different future for Gaza as long as Hamas holds onto its weapons,” he said.
2+At the meeting between the two, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul reinforced Saar’s position: “We are very clear that the plan for the Gaza Strip must be implemented in its entirety, and therefore I fully support your words—Hamas must be disarmed. Everyone who signed this agreement must use their influence with Hamas so that the terror organization relinquishes its actual control of the Strip, grants ‘Palestinians’ the freedom they deserve, and does not rearm against Israel.”
Hamas announced yesterday it was resigning and transferring Gaza governance to a national committee, in a move presented as “preparation for establishing a technocratic government.” In practice, the move isn’t expected to shift power centers in the Strip, since control remains in Hamas’s hands, and the group’s members are expected to continue staffing key positions during the transition period.
2+In a statement from Hamas’s government media office, the chairman of the emergency committee submitted his resignation, and a technical and professional team will continue ensuring services to civilians. The statement added that current government institution heads will serve as a temporary body until the transition process is completed.
According to the announcement, until the technocratic government is established, a temporary transitional government will operate in the Strip, headed by Abd al-Hadi al-Agha, former director-general of the Ministry of Endowments and Holy Sites under Hamas and a member of the organization. This means that despite the declaration of a change in government, Gaza’s management is expected to continue under figures identified with Hamas.