Hamas welcomes unified Palestinian 'supervision' of Gaza but rejects full handover

Hamas fighters in Gaza. Hamas says it is open to a power-sharing agreement with the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian parties. Bloomberg

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Hamas said on Tuesday that it is open to sharing the administration of Gaza with the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian parties, but rejected a full handover, at least for the time being.

Ayman Shannaa, a member of Hamas's political leadership in Lebanon, said the group had not sent any message indicating its willingness to completely cede control of the territory to the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

However, he emphasised that Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades, is open to a power-sharing agreement that could help “unify” Palestinians against US President Donald Trump’s proposal of “owning” Gaza and displacing its residents.

“We have no objection to the [Palestinian] Authority's participation and supervision, but the notion of a full handover is baseless and unrealistic,” Mr Shannaa said. “It is too early to talk about a full transfer of power in Gaza. Palestinian institutions should include all Palestinian factions,” he told The National.

Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007 after a brief but violent conflict with the PA, which is led by the Fatah party. Since then, Hamas has governed the coastal enclave, while the PA retains partial control over the occupied West Bank.

Israel has made the removal of Hamas from power one of its primary objectives in the war, which has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza since it began on October 7, 2023. The war erupted after Palestinian militant factions led by Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israeli communities, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages.

The future governance of Gaza is also tied to its post-war reconstruction, which is expected to cost billions of dollars. Many international donors, particularly western governments, have signalled that they will not fund Gaza’s rebuilding efforts unless Hamas relinquishes control of the territory.

Mr Shannaa insisted that Hamas will not be sidelined in any future political arrangement. “Hamas cannot be excluded, nor will it exclude any party from governing Gaza. Palestinian unity is the key to confronting external projects, foremost among them the ‘Trump Plan’, which aims to displace Gaza’s residents,” he elaborated.

The discussion over Hamas’s role in Gaza’s governance comes as the fragile ceasefire agreement with Israel appears increasingly unstable, with both sides threatening to resume hostilities. A Hamas source confirmed that the group remains “committed to all clauses of the agreements reached, including the release of three prisoners”.

Arab countries are reportedly preparing a counterproposal to present to the Trump administration, aiming to shape the future of Gaza.