Hamas says it will dissolve its Gaza administration once a Palestinian technocratic committee takes over under the U.S.-brokered plan, but no timetable was given. An international "Board of Peace" proposed by former President Trump is to oversee disarmament, an international security force and reconstruction, yet its membership remains unannounced. Despite a ceasefire that began Oct. 10 and included hostage exchanges, violence has continued and fatalities were reported. In Israel, a senior Netanyahu aide is under questioning in a probe of leaked military information.
Hamas Says It Will Dissolve Gaza Government Once Technocratic Committee Takes Charge; Oversight Plans Remain Unclear
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across an area in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Hamas announced on Sunday that it will dissolve its current administration in Gaza once a Palestinian technocratic leadership committee assumes control of the territory as set out in the U.S.-brokered plan. The group did not provide a timetable for the handover.
Technocratic Committee And International Oversight
Neither Hamas nor the rival Palestinian Authority — the Palestinians' internationally recognized representative — has released the names of the proposed technocrats. Appointees are expected to be nonpartisan, and it remains unclear whether Israel and the United States will approve the selections.
An international oversight body, dubbed the "Board of Peace" and proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, is intended to supervise the new government and other elements of the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10. The board's responsibilities are slated to include disarming Hamas, arranging deployment of an international security force, overseeing further Israeli pullbacks and supervising Gaza's reconstruction. Members of the board have not been publicly announced, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov has been chosen as the board's director-general.
An Egyptian official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Hamas will send a delegation to talks with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators about moving to the agreement's second phase. The Hamas delegation is expected to be chaired by senior negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem urged accelerating the committee's formation in comments posted to his Telegram channel.
Ceasefire, Hostage Exchanges And Ongoing Violence
The ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10, began with a halt in large-scale fighting and included the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for thousands of Palestinians detained by Israel. The agreement remains in its initial phase while authorities continue efforts to recover the remains of the final hostage still in Gaza.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, left, meets with Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Jerusalem, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Despite the truce, violence has continued. Palestinian hospital officials reported that three Palestinians were killed Sunday: two men shot dead in the southern town of Bani Suhaila, according to Nasser Hospital, and one man killed by Israeli gunfire in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, according to Al-Ahly Hospital. The Israeli military said its forces fired at and hit militants who approached troops and later said it had killed a person in southern Gaza who neared Israeli positions.
Local health authorities report that more than 400 Palestinians have been killed by strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire began. The Israeli military has said its actions during the truce were responses to violations of the agreement, and both Israel and Hamas have accused the other of breaching the ceasefire.
Political Fallout In Israel
Separately, Israeli police said they are questioning a senior official from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office over possible obstruction of an investigation into last year's leak of classified military information to a German tabloid. Israeli media identified the official as Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s chief of staff and Israel's ambassador-designate to the United Kingdom.
The probe stems from allegations that members of Netanyahu’s inner circle leaked confidential material to the German tabloid Bild to improve the prime minister’s public standing after the killing of six hostages in Gaza in 2024. Former Netanyahu spokesperson Eli Feldstein, who has been indicted in the case, gave an interview alleging a clandestine late-night meeting with Braverman related to the leak. Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for Braverman’s suspension as ambassador-designate; Foreign Minister Gideon Saar defended the appointment and said Braverman will not be removed unless formally charged or tried.
Reporting: Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
Correction: This version corrects that six hostages were killed in 2024.
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