by Khaled Abu Toameh
"There is a prevailing sense within the committee and other parties that Hamas is determined, by all means, to keep its members within the new administrative framework overseeing the Gaza Strip." — Asharq al-Awsat, quoting "sources close to" NCAG [Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza], February 14, 2026.
Although Hamas has expressed its willingness to hand over its government institutions to the NCAG [Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza], there are indications that the terror group seeks to control the new committee and turn it into a Hamas puppet.
The NCAG is already under pressure from the terror group to incorporate thousands of Hamas terrorists into a newly established Palestinian police force in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, in addition, is seeking to ensure that its civil servants be placed on the payroll of the NCAG.
"There is a prevailing sense within the committee and other parties that Hamas is determined, by all means, to keep its members within the new administrative framework overseeing the Gaza Strip." — Asharq al-Awsat, quoting "sources close to" NCAG, February 14, 2026.
What we are currently witnessing are direct and indirect efforts by Hamas to continue governing the Gaza Strip even after the establishment of Trump's "Board of Peace" and the NCAG.
Hamas... sees itself as an essential part of the post-war arrangements in the Gaza Strip. In the viewpoint of Hamas, the role of bodies such as the "Board of Peace" and NCAG should be limited only to paying salaries, funding reconstruction and ensuring the entry of aid supplies into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the terror group will focus its efforts on rearming, regrouping, rebuilding its terror infrastructure, and planning more attacks on Israel.
Anyone who believes that the NCAG will be able to operate as an independent governing body in the Gaza Strip is abysmally uninformed. Its members will undoubtedly be at the mercy of Hamas and its masked thugs.
"The image promoted by some international parties that the committee is a means to remove Hamas from power seems far removed from reality. The facts on the ground indicate that Hamas still maintains military, organizational, and ideological control within Gaza, and that any new administrative body cannot operate independently of its will or outside its sphere of influence. Real power remains in the hands of those who possess weapons, organizational networks, and the capacity for sustained popular mobilization." — Mahdi Mubarak, Arab political analyst, rumonline.net, February 16, 2026
Hamas should have been asked to end its rule over the Gaza Strip and hand over all its weapons before, and not after, the formation of the NCAG. Since that has not happened, Hamas will become the largest beneficiary of the billions of dollars that are about to be invested in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established last month in accordance with US President Donald J. Trump's plan to end the Israel-Hamas war, is about to assume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip.
The NCAG's main mission is to manage the day-to-day operations of the civil service and administration in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the war, which erupted after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of Israel.
The committee, whose members are described as "independent technocrats," is headed by Ali Shaath, a top official of the Fatah faction headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Shaath previously held several positions in the PA, including Deputy Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, and Undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport.
The NCAG is expected to start operating in the Gaza Strip even though Hamas continues to control nearly half of it, with more than 90% of the population still under the terror group's jurisdiction. The other half is controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Although Hamas has expressed its willingness to hand over its government institutions to the NCAG, there are indications that the terror group seeks to control the new committee and turn it into a Hamas puppet.
The NCAG is already under pressure from the terror group to incorporate thousands of Hamas terrorists into a newly established Palestinian police force in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, in addition, is seeking to ensure that its civil servants be placed on the payroll of the NCAG.
Sources close to the NCAG revealed that Hamas "continues to insist that its security personnel remain in service within the agencies that will operate under the committee's [NCAG] leadership," according to the London-based newspaper, Asharq Al-Awsat.
"The sources said this issue further complicates the committee's ability to assume its duties in an orderly manner, explaining that Hamas, by insisting on certain demands related to its security employees and police forces, seeks to impose its presence in one way or another within the committee's work. There is a prevailing sense within the committee and other parties that Hamas is determined, by all means, to keep its members within the new administrative framework overseeing the Gaza Strip."
The news about the newly established Palestinian governance committee's preparations to enter the Gaza Strip coincided with reports that Hamas is reasserting its power in areas under its control. According to a February 18 BBC report:
"Gazans say Hamas is again extending its control over security, tax revenue, and government services, raising questions about its long-term strategy, and whether it is prepared to give up its weapons and authority, as now required under the second stage of Donald Trump's peace plan."
Mohammed Diab, an activist in the Gaza Strip, noted that Hamas "regained control of more than 90% of the areas where it is present."
"Its police and security agencies have returned, and are now present in the streets, controlling crime and pursuing those it labels as collaborators and people with opinions. Citizens must go to the Hamas authorities for identity cards or health procedures, and it is also reasserting control over the judiciary and courts."
Such reports prove that Hamas is lying when it says that it is ready to hand over its governing power to NCAG. Hamas's actions on the ground demonstrate that the terror group plans to maintain its control over the Gaza Strip in violation of Trump's plan, which states: "Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form." What we are currently witnessing are direct and indirect efforts by Hamas to continue governing the Gaza Strip even after the establishment of Trump's "Board of Peace" and the NCAG.
Hamas, whose members murdered, tortured, mutilated, raped and kidnapped thousands of Israelis and foreign nationals on October 7, sees itself as an essential part of the post-war arrangements in the Gaza Strip. In the viewpoint of Hamas, the role of bodies such as the "Board of Peace" and NCAG should be limited only to paying salaries, funding reconstruction and ensuring the entry of aid supplies into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the terror group will focus its efforts on rearming, regrouping, rebuilding its terror infrastructure, and planning more attacks on Israel.
According to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center:
"[D]espite Hamas' alleged willingness to transfer governance to the committee, it will have to rely on tens of thousands of employees who remain loyal to Hamas after nearly two decades of absolute Hamas control in the Strip. In such a situation, the committee will at best be able to carry out limited assistance and reconstruction activities, but most likely not to resolve core issues of control, security and demilitarization."
Needless to say, Hamas has repeatedly made it clear that it has no intention of laying down its weapons or abandoning its Jihad (holy war) to eliminate Israel.
Under current circumstances, where Hamas is quickly reasserting its control over the Gaza Strip, it is hard to see how the "Board of Peace" or the NCAG could succeed in ending the terror group's rule and implement Trump's vision, specifically that "Gaza will be a deradicalized terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors."
So long as Hamas and thousands of its terrorists are roaming the streets, collecting taxes, intimidating the residents, and recruiting new fighters, the security and economic situation in the Gaza Strip will never improve. Anyone who believes that the NCAG will be able to operate as an independent governing body in the Gaza Strip is abysmally uninformed. Its members will undoubtedly be at the mercy of Hamas and its masked thugs.
Arab political analyst Mahdi Mubarak wrote:
"The committee's formation did not occur in a political vacuum, but rather in an environment dominated by Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip for many years and established a deep military, organizational, and social presence. Therefore, any realistic assessment of the committee's future cannot ignore the existing balance of power on the ground. No matter how professional the civil administration may be, its influence remains limited if it lacks the tools of actual power or if it operates within a framework defined by a more powerful party.
"The image promoted by some international parties that the committee is a means to remove Hamas from power seems far removed from reality. The facts on the ground indicate that Hamas still maintains military, organizational, and ideological control within Gaza, and that any new administrative body cannot operate independently of its will or outside its sphere of influence. Real power remains in the hands of those who possess weapons, organizational networks, and the capacity for sustained popular mobilization.
"From this, it can be said that Hamas was the biggest beneficiary of the formation of the committee, not because it relinquished its influence, but because it cleverly repositioned itself. Instead of appearing at the forefront of the scene and bearing the cost of political, security, and economic confrontation before the international community, Hamas left space for a civilian body to manage day-to-day affairs, while it retained the keys to strategic influence. The military force is still in Hamas's hands, its organizational structure has not been dismantled, and the social networks it built over the years are still active.
"If the new security apparatus relies on elements formed within an organizational environment close to Hamas, then the separation between civilian administration and Hamas's influence becomes more theoretical than practical. And if the professional cadres—engineers, doctors, and employees—work within a social system that has been influenced by Hamas for years, its indirect influence will persist even in its formal absence from the forefront."
Hamas appears to be on its way to attempting to impose the model of Lebanon, where Iran's terror proxy, Hezbollah, has for the past few decades been able to operate as a "state within a state."
Hamas should have been asked to end its rule over the Gaza Strip and hand over all its weapons before, and not after, the formation of the NCAG. Since that has not happened, Hamas will become the largest beneficiary of the billions of dollars that are about to be invested in the Gaza Strip.
- Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22299/hamas-beneficiary-billions-of-dollars
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