‘Not clinging to power’: Hamas says it’s ready to stop governing Gaza to extend ceasefire

GAZA - Hamas has indicated a willingness to stop governing Gaza after the war with Israel, an overture timed for US-led efforts to extend the initial ceasefire and agree on terms for a permanent end to hostilities.

“It is not necessary for Hamas to be part of the political and administrative arrangements in the next phase for Gaza, especially if it serves the interests of our people,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim told Al Arabiya TV.

The concession would fulfil one of Israel’s demands for Hamas that would enable a second phase of the truce to start when the ongoing one expires early in March. However, another is for the Palestinian group to disarm, a condition the Iranian-backed faction has shown no sign of meeting. 

Some Israeli analysts have warned that allowing Hamas to continue as a military force outside government would enable the group to replicate the role played by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which wielded significant power and influence in the country, both militarily and politically, despite not being officially in charge. Israel’s offensive against the group late in 2024 helped pave the way for Lebanon to appoint in January its first president since 2022.  

Further clouding post-war prospects in Gaza has been Israel’s refusal to state what it considers an acceptable alternative government to Hamas, rejecting overtures by the Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the West Bank, to get involved. 

US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal that most Gazans be sent abroad

to make way for a years-long reconstruction

of the war-ravaged territory has been rejected by Palestinians and criticised by many Middle East leaders.  

“We are not clinging to power,” Mr Qasim said late on Feb 16. “The commencing of real reconstruction is not necessarily dependent on Hamas being part of these arrangements.”

With the initial six-week Israel-Hamas truce nearing its end, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Feb 16 voiced optimism that talks in phase two, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, would proceed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to convene his security Cabinet on the evening of Feb 17 to set guidelines for any advance in the negotiations.

In a Feb 16 speech, Mr Netanyahu reiterated that “Israel will destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities”, a call echoed by visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described Hamas as an obstacle to any future peace.

Hamas, like Hezbollah, is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and many other countries. The group has been fighting Israel since attacking the country in October 2023. BLOOMBERG