Hamas dissolves Gaza emergency government amid stalled ceasefire talks

Hamas has announced it is dissolving its emergency government in Gaza, as part of a process to hand control of the strip to a Palestinian technocratic committee backed by the United States.

The National Committee for Gaza Administration (NCAG) was established last year, when the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

But to this point it has been operating from the Egyptian capital Cairo rather than inside the war-ravaged strip, with Hamas accusing Israel of blocking its access.

In a statement read to media outside the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, Hamas officials announced the resignation of senior members of the government.

But they added some people would remain in senior positions in Gaza's administration were "solely technical and professional personnel".

"They will continue performing their duties to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of public services to our people and to prevent any administrative or technical vacuum that could harm our citizens," the head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, Ismail Al-Thawabta told the media.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the next phases of the ceasefire have stalled, with each side accusing the other of breaching the fragile deal.

More than one thousand people have been killed in Israeli strikes since October, when the truce came into force, and Israeli forces have seized more territory in the strip.

Hamas has to this point refused to lay down its weapons, which Israel says is a precondition for withdrawing from territory under the deal.

“The occupation has decided to violate continuously the cease fire in the Gaza strip, they killed more than 1,050 citizens, it violates the yellow line continuously, it closes the [border] crossings,” Hamas’ spokesman Hazem Qassem told the ABC.

“This right wing government has a clear policy to destroy the path of peace in the Gaza strip and uses other excuses, linked to issues like the weapons, even though Hamas presented the mediators with proposals, that were welcomed but later they changed their minds because of the Israeli position.”

“These are Israeli excuses, no more.”

He said there would be further talks in Cairo soon after the resignation announcement.

Over the weekend, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported the militant group was stalling negotiations for its disarmament because it viewed the Israeli government as doing the same ahead of elections due by the end of October.

In response to the resignation, the network quoted a senior Israeli official casting doubt on the significance of the announcement.

"The apparent resignation of the Hamas government, in which all its members remain in office, is a spin that has no meaning," KAN quoted the official.

The ABC has asked the Israeli Prime Minister's office for comment.

The Sund Palestinian News Agency quoted the head of the NCAG, Ali Shaath saying his organisation was ready to take over governance "as soon as the necessary resources and capabilities are available."

"The fundamental requirements for the Committee's success are a single authority, a single law with a clear mandate, and a single armed force under the authority of this power," he was quoted as saying.

The Board of Peace expressed caution, and demanded Hamas hand over its weapons.

“Ultimately, our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza,” it said in a statement.

“A genuine transfer of authority must enable the NCAG to exercise its mandate independently, including taking the administrative and governance decisions entrusted to it.

Conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East, from Iran to Lebanon, have taken much of the international attention away from the situation in Gaza.

In late May the Trump-appointed Board of Peace's High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov had warned of the "risks of inaction" in the strip if negotiations remained stalled.

One Palestinian watching the announcement was Nabil Diab.

The 54 year old was originally from northern Gaza, but has been displaced like hundreds of thousands of others.

He told the ABC the announcement from Hamas had a clear purpose.

“To pressure the occupation, to fulfill its part in the cease fire agreement, and to alleviate the suffering from the Palestinian people.

“This step is important. This is a step that should be a foundation for an agreement to come.”