Israel Warns Hamas ‘Technocratic’ Gaza Plan Is Bid To Keep Terror Army Intact

Sa’ar says Hamas is pursuing a “Hezbollah model” in Gaza, handing off civilian burdens while preserving military control

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned Monday that Hamas’s proposal to transfer Gaza’s civilian administration to a technocratic committee is not a genuine step toward peace, but an attempt to preserve the terrorist group’s military power under a new political cover.

Sa’ar said Hamas’s July 6 announcement mirrors what he called the “Hezbollah model,” in which civilian institutions handle municipal services while an armed terror organization remains the dominant force behind the scenes.

“The willingness to ‘make room’ for a technocratic government is designed to prevent Hamas from being disarmed,” Sa’ar said. “Hamas is interested in a ‘Hezbollah model’ in Gaza: the technocratic committee will be responsible for garbage collection and municipal services, and Hamas will remain the dominant military force.”

The foreign minister reaffirmed Israel’s position that any postwar arrangement in Gaza must include the complete disarmament of Hamas and other terror groups, along with the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

“Israel insists on implementing the Trump plan as written, with the disarmament of Hamas and other terror organizations and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip at its core,” Sa’ar said.

Hamas has presented its offer to transfer governing responsibilities as a move intended to advance the stalled peace process. However, its proposal does not include any pledge to surrender weapons, dismantle tunnels, or dissolve its military infrastructure.

Israeli officials say that omission is decisive. According to one official, any technocratic committee assuming responsibility for Gaza could only do so after Hamas is fully stripped of its military capabilities. Reconstruction, the official added, would not proceed while Hamas remains armed.

Palestinian officials familiar with the talks also expressed skepticism, saying Hamas has not actually declared an end to its rule in Gaza.

“Hamas hasn’t declared an end to its rule in the Gaza Strip,” a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post. “What they have done is announce the dissolution of what they call the emergency committee. But at the same time, they immediately declared that another temporary governing body would run the [Gaza] Strip and appointed someone to head it.”

The official said Hamas is seeking to maintain both its weapons and its political influence, while appearing cooperative in negotiations.

“They want to buy more time,” he said, suggesting Hamas may be hoping future regional developments, including those involving Iran and the United States, could improve its position.

At the center of the dispute is the principle of “one authority and one weapon,” meaning that only an authorized Palestinian governing structure—not Hamas—would be permitted to maintain armed forces in Gaza.

But Palestinian sources warned Hamas may try to place its police officers, security personnel, and civil servants inside the new technocratic institutions, giving the terror group continued influence from within.

“Hamas wants its members to be allowed to carry weapons in a way that appears legal under the framework of the new technocratic committee, while in reality, it would continue to guide their actions,” one official said.

Another Palestinian source said the resignation of one or two Hamas officials should not be mistaken for the collapse of Hamas rule.

“The resignation of one or two heads of Hamas’s governmental committee does not mean the collapse of Hamas’s rule in Gaza,” the source said, adding that Hamas wants the appearance of surrendering governance while shifting responsibility for Gaza’s crisis onto mediators and Israel.

The source said Hamas is also seeking access to international funding through a new Palestinian technocratic committee that would have greater legitimacy with foreign donors.

“Hamas’s employees could be the eyes of the organization inside the new administrative body,” he said. “Hamas cannot give them up, because through them it can continue to operate and play a role.”

A diplomatic source familiar with the U.S.-led Board of Peace dismissed Hamas’s announcement as meaningless unless the group agrees to the sequencing required under the ceasefire framework.

“It shows that Hamas is under pressure; they’re cornered,” the source told JNS. “So what they’re trying to say is, ‘Look, we’re not the problem, we’re not the one saying no. The technocratic committee can come in, take over our bankrupt economy, our broken services, our mountains of debt and all of our problems, and we’ll just keep our weapons and keep power.’”

The Board of Peace framework envisions a staged process that includes Hamas’s disarmament, the deployment of an international security force, the installation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and a formal transfer of authority.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, currently based in Cairo while awaiting deployment, is intended to serve as a transitional Palestinian governing body. Officials acknowledge the task would be enormous after more than two years of war, but say the committee could begin restoring basic services if Hamas stops obstructing the process.

The diplomatic source said Hamas can demonstrate seriousness by signing an agreement laying out how it will disarm, surrender its tunnels, give up light and heavy weapons, and transfer authority properly.

Until then, Israeli and U.S.-aligned officials appear unconvinced.

Jerusalem’s answer remains firm: there can be no reconstruction, no credible transition, and no lasting peace while Hamas keeps its weapons.

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