Reuters: Hamas tightens control over Gaza with new appointments

Hamas is solidifying its grip on Gaza by installing loyalists in key government positions, collecting taxes, and disbursing salaries, according to an Israeli military assessment obtained by Reuters and sources within the Palestinian territory.

The group’s persistent control over Gaza’s essential power structures has cast doubt on the viability of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, which requires Hamas to relinquish its weapons in return for an Israeli military withdrawal from the region.

Hamas has announced its willingness to transfer the administration of the enclave to a US-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats led by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority official in the occupied West Bank. However, it claims Israel has yet to permit committee members to enter Gaza to take up their duties.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did not address Reuters’ questions regarding Hamas’ control over Gaza. An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed any notion of a future role for the group as "twisted fantasy," adding, "Hamas is finished as a governing authority in the Gaza Strip."

Israeli military sources report that Hamas, which continues to refuse disarmament, has been using the October ceasefire to reassert authority in areas vacated by Israeli forces. While Israel maintains control over more than half of Gaza, nearly all of the enclave’s 2 million residents live in Hamas-administered areas.

Hamas has appointed five district governors, all linked to its armed al-Qassam Brigades, according to two Palestinian sources with direct knowledge of its operations.

"Shaath may have the key to the car, and he may even be allowed to drive, but it is a Hamas car," one source told Reuters.

Neither the US State Department nor Shaath's National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) responded immediately to requests for comment.

The committee’s appointment in January marked the beginning of the next stage of Trump’s plan to end the Gaza conflict, even as critical elements of the first phase—including a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas—remain incomplete.

The Board of Peace is scheduled to receive reports on the committee’s activities on February 19.

Trump is also expected to announce the countries that will contribute personnel for a UN-authorised stabilisation force and assist in training a new Palestinian police force, which the NCAG is expected to oversee.

By Jeyhun Aghazada