Hamas seeks role for its police in Gaza ahead of disarmament talks
Hamas seeks role for its police in Gaza ahead of disarmament talks
Hamas pushes to integrate its 10,000-strong police into a U.S.-backed Gaza administration as disarmament talks loom, widening rift with Israel.
Hamas is pressing to fold its 10,000-strong police force into a new U.S.-backed Palestinian administration for Gaza, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The move would see Hamas personnel become part of a broader technocratic government aimed at governing Gaza under U.S. oversight, and it would involve integrating civil and security workers into the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG, which is meant to exclude Hamas from day-to-day control.
The aim of the NCAG is to oversee a governing arrangement in Gaza with U.S. oversight, while integrating civil servants and security workers into the new government. Some 40,000 civil servants and security personnel have been asked to cooperate with the NCAG, underscoring the scale of the political stakes.
But a major hurdle remains: Israel has adamantly rejected any Hamas involvement in Gaza's future, and the broader disarmament deal tied to Israeli troop withdrawals remains a red line. The plan, tied to a 20-point roadmap to end the war, envisions governance of Gaza handed to the NCAG, a framework that would keep Hamas at arm's length from the new administration while still managing day-to-day affairs in areas under its control.
Hamas’ insistence on retaining a policing role could complicate efforts to disarm and might provoke a public confrontation with Israel. The latest push comes as regional and American diplomacy accelerates discussions around a governance arrangement in Gaza, and as Trump had recently hosted a signing ceremony to establish his Board of Peace, which supporters say will serve as a backdrop for these talks.
As hostages remain a focal point of the conflict, the dynamic between a technocratic governance plan and Hamas' security arm remains the most watched hurdle to any enduring settlement in Gaza.
