Hamas’s plan ahead of disarmament talks: integrating its police forces in Gaza

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Hamas is seeking to integrate its police forces, numbering around 10,000 members, into a new plan ahead of disarmament talks.

This was reported by Reuters, citing informed sources who requested anonymity.

Hamas controls less than half of the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire agreement reached last October under US mediation, which links any further withdrawal of Israeli forces to the movement’s relinquishment of its weapons.

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The 20-point US plan to end the war, now in its second phase, calls for transferring the administration of Gaza to the National Commission for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body under US supervision, aimed at excluding Hamas.

In a message sent to its employees on Sunday, which Reuters said it had seen, the Hamas government in Gaza urged more than 40,000 civil servants and security personnel to cooperate with the National Commission, while assuring them that it was working to integrate them into the new government.

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Four informed sources said this would include the Hamas-run police force, numbering about 10,000 officers, a demand that had not previously been made public.

Many of these officers are patrolling Gaza as Hamas reasserts control by force over areas under its authority.

It remains unclear whether Israel, which strongly opposes any Hamas role in Gaza’s future, will agree to the inclusion of civilian and security employees in the National Commission for the Administration of Gaza.

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Points of contention

Major points of disagreement persist, as Hamas’s plans regarding its police forces and their personnel reveal wide gaps between the movement and Israel, while President Donald Trump continues to press ahead with his plans.

Last week, Trump hosted the signing ceremony for the establishment of the “Peace Council,” which is to serve as a transitional administration tasked with setting the general framework and coordinating funding for Gaza’s reconstruction.

This framework includes a clause barring “foreign terrorist organizations” from participating in governance.

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Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesman, told Reuters that the movement is ready to hand over governance immediately to the National Commission for the Administration of Gaza, composed of 15 members and chaired by Ali Shaath.

Referring to the integration of 40,000 employees, Qassem said: “We have full confidence that he will work on the basis of utilizing expertise and without depriving anyone who worked during the previous period of their rights.”

Meanwhile, a Hamas official said that the movement and Shaath have not yet met in person to discuss governance.

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Another issue, however, concerns the ability of Sami Nasman, a former Palestinian Authority general tasked with overseeing security within the Gaza Administration Commission, to operate effectively, according to a Palestinian official cited by Reuters.

Nasman, a native of Gaza, moved to the West Bank after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip by force in 2007.

Subsequently, a Hamas-affiliated court in Gaza issued a verdict in absentia against him on charges of inciting chaos, accusations that Nasman denies.

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Hamas’s weapons

The movement is believed to still possess rockets, estimated in the hundreds, as well as thousands of light weapons, including rifles.

Sources said Hamas has recently agreed to discuss disarmament with other Palestinian factions and with mediators.

However, two Hamas officials told Reuters that neither Washington nor the mediators have presented the movement with any concrete details or agreements on the matter.

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