Palestinian sources who spoke to The Jerusalem Post on Monday expressed deep suspicion over Hamas’s announcement and said that the group is unwilling to relinquish its power.
"Hamas hasn't declared an end to its rule in the Gaza Strip," a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah said. “What they have done is announce the dissolution of what they call the emergency committee, but at the same time, they immediately declared that another temporary governing body would run the Strip and appointed someone to head it,” he told the Post.
The official said that the organization seeks to maintain both its military capabilities and governmental authority in Gaza. “They say they want to hand over authority to the technocratic committee, but I believe this is only as part of the discussions in Cairo, because they want to show that they are not the ones impeding the process. They want to buy more time, hoping that future circumstances may work to their advantage, possibly as a result of developments between Iran and the United States that could also benefit Gaza."
How 'one authority, one weapon' principle will be implemented
He further stated that the most important question is "how the principle of 'one authority and one weapon' will be implemented," and emphasized that Hamas’s weapons should be removed and handed over to "the authorized Palestinian Institutions".
The official added that Hamas is seeking to ensure that its police officers and members of its security forces- those responsible for maintaining order- are incorporated into the new police force in Gaza. “Hamas wants its members to be allowed to carry weapons in a way that appears legal under the framework of the new technocratic committee, while in reality it would continue to guide their actions,” he said.
Resignation doesn't mean collapse of Hamas's rule in Gaza
Another Palestinian source said that "the resignation of one or two heads of Hamas’s governmental committee does not mean the collapse of Hamas’s rule in Gaza."
He explained that Hamas wants to highlight this move in the media to demonstrate its readiness to give up its governance, while in reality it seeks to shift responsibility to the mediators and to Israel.
“They also want to secure financial support, knowing that the organization can not obtain funding or international backing because it lacks legitimacy," he said and added, "The new technocratic Palestinian committee is recognized as legitimate, so Hamas is trying to use this arrangement to rebuild its infrastructure and embolden itself in the future.”
He pointed to Hamas’s demand that its civil servants and some of its personnel be integrated into the technocratic committee’s institutions. “Hamas’s employees could be the ‘eyes’ of the organization inside the new administrative body. Hamas cannot give them up because through them it can continue to operate and play a role,” he told the Post.