Israel Rejects Hamas Government Dissolution, Insists on Disarming Gaza Factions

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reiterated Tel Aviv's strict demand for the disarmament of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, considering the movement's recent announcement of dissolving its administrative government as merely a political maneuver. Sa'ar clarified that this step is essentially aimed at avoiding the disarming of factions under the guise of handing over authority to civilian entities.

The Israeli minister affirmed that his government is committed to the literal and full implementation of the plan put forth by US President Donald Trump, which explicitly stipulates the demilitarization of the Strip. He indicated that any future arrangements must ensure that no military force threatening Israel's security remains in the areas to be administered by the technocratic government.

For its part, the Hamas movement officially announced the dissolution of its de facto government in the Gaza Strip, including the committee overseeing the ministries that had managed the Strip's affairs for over a decade. The movement stated that this step comes as a gesture of goodwill to facilitate the transfer of authority to a group of Palestinian technocrats within the framework of international understandings.

Despite this announcement, the movement clarified that ministry employees would remain in their positions to ensure the continuity of essential services for the population. It also stressed that it would continue to oversee the security file and the police force in areas still under its field control, which raises widespread Israeli and American reservations.

In a related context, sources reported that the 'Peace Council' formed by Trump to monitor the implementation of the plan is closely following Hamas's recent moves. The Council affirmed that the final assessment of the seriousness of these steps would depend on concrete actions on the ground, especially regarding meeting the needs of the population and ensuring stability.

On the ground, the Gaza Strip continues to suffer from massive destruction more than two and a half years after the outbreak of the comprehensive military confrontation in October 2023. Continuous military operations have caused the displacement of nearly two million people, most of whom live in harsh humanitarian conditions in dilapidated tents and shelters.

Administratively, Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the government media office in Gaza, announced the resignation of the head of the government emergency committee and the final dissolution of the committee. Al-Thawabta indicated at a press conference in Gaza City that this measure aims to enhance the seriousness of the administrative transition and enforce agreements concluded with international parties.

For his part, Ali Shaath, head of the National Committee for Gaza Administration, expressed his 15-member team's readiness to take over national tasks as soon as the necessary capabilities are available. Shaath stipulated that for the committee's success, there must be a single authority and a unified law, in addition to a single legitimate weapon subject to clear political authority.

Regarding the field situation, Israeli forces continue to control more than 60% of the Strip's area, where they impose buffer zones and conduct intensive military patrols. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirms that his army will not withdraw from these areas to ensure deterrence against any future attacks that might originate from the Strip.

Monday witnessed a new field escalation resulting in the killing of five Palestinians in scattered airstrikes targeting different areas. Medical sources reported that a couple was killed in a strike targeting a residential apartment in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, while others fell in attacks targeting displaced persons' tents and vehicles in Khan Yunis.

The Israeli army claimed that the strike in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood targeted Fadi Ashour Daghmas, whom it described as a prominent military commander in the ranks of the Hamas movement. No immediate comment was issued by the army regarding the other raids that targeted gatherings of displaced persons in the southern areas of the Strip.

The Hamas movement accuses the Israeli side of continuous intransigence and violating the fragile ceasefire understandings reached under American auspices. The movement believes that Israel is evading the requirements of withdrawal from the Strip by imposing impossible conditions related to the resistance's weapons, which it considers a 'red line'.

Reports indicate that the Washington-backed plan calls for the full handover of governmental oversight to the National Committee for Gaza Administration, a technocratic body that enjoys international support. However, the dilemma of 'weapons' remains the major obstacle threatening to collapse the political process and return to a comprehensive confrontation.

The residents of the Strip remain in a state of cautious anticipation of these political developments, with slim hopes that these moves will lead to an end to the suffering of displacement and the beginning of reconstruction operations. However, hardline Israeli statements indicate that the path towards lasting stability is still fraught with security and political complexities.

Israel insists on the full implementation of the Trump plan, whose core principles are the disarmament of Hamas and all other organizations and the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.