Hamas denies obstructing Gaza handover, accuses occupation and Mladenov of hindering national committee

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem refuted claims promoted by parties in the 'Peace Council' regarding the movement's insistence on holding power in the Gaza Strip and refusing to hand it over. Qassem described these statements as deliberate misinformation aimed at providing the Israeli occupation with the necessary political cover to continue its military operations, especially after the exposure of plans led by Southern Command chief Yaniv Asor to control about 70% of the Strip's territory.

The movement's spokesman stressed that Hamas is fully and absolutely ready to hand over all administrative and governance functions in Gaza, including the sensitive security file, to the National Committee that was previously agreed upon in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. He clarified that the movement does not seek to obstruct any consensual path that serves the Palestinian national interest, but rather pushes for activating the agreed-upon institutions to ensure the stability of field and administrative conditions.

In a related context, the movement directed direct accusations at both the occupation authorities and UN coordinator Mladenov for standing as a stumbling block to the implementation of the handover understandings. Sources indicated that Mladenov deliberately complicated political paths by confining negotiations to one angle, which the movement considered a departure even from the vision put forward by US President Donald Trump regarding peace in the Gaza Strip, leading to the freezing of the National Committee's effectiveness.

Qassem also criticized the state of helplessness suffered by the 'Peace Council' in exerting real pressure on the Israeli side to force it to allow the National Committee to enter Gaza and begin its duties. He affirmed that this failure to provide the necessary capabilities for field work keeps the file of aid management and civil control hostage to ongoing military escalation, exacerbating humanitarian crises within the besieged Strip.

Some parties' talk about our refusal to hand over power is pure misleading lies aimed at providing political cover for the occupation to continue its military aggression.