Report: Hamas Prepares to Dissolve Its Gaza Governing Committee

Two sources within Hamas told the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday (Sunday) that the group's leadership is expected to announce the dissolution of the "Committee for Monitoring Government Activity"—the body that has effectively served as Hamas's governing authority in the Gaza Strip.

According to the report, the move is intended to pave the way for the "Gaza Management Committee," also known as the "Technocrats' Committee," headed by Ali Shaat, to assume administrative authority in the Strip.

One Hamas source said the official announcement dissolving the committee could come as early as tomorrow.

At the same time, Hamas and other Palestinian faction sources said a new round of talks is expected to begin in Cairo within the next two days in an effort to "narrow the gaps" over the second phase of the fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement.

According to the report, Egypt's capital is expected to host meetings within about 48 hours with representatives of the Palestinian factions, led by Hamas.

The report also said Hamas is working to accelerate the entry of the Gaza Management Committee into the Strip so it can begin operating. At the same time, the group accused Nikolay Mladenov, director-general of the Gaza Peace Council, of making the committee's deployment conditional on an agreement that all weapons be placed under the control of a single Palestinian authority.