Hamas says it will not be part of post-war Gaza administration provided national consensus

By Ahmed Asmar

The Palestinian group Hamas said Tuesday that it will not be part of any administrative arrangements in the post-war Gaza Strip on condition of a national consensus.

"Any arrangements for Gaza's future after the (Israeli) aggression must be based on national consensus, and we will facilitate this," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told Anadolu.

"It is not necessary for Hamas to be part of the administrative arrangements in Gaza. It is not interested in that, and does not want to be in these arrangements at all," he said.

The spokesman underlined the importance of these administrative arrangements being made "with internal national consensus."

“(Hamas) will not allow any external force to interfere," he said.

Qassem said these arrangements must lead to “launching a serious and genuine reconstruction process to save our people in Gaza from the catastrophe they have endured” due to Israel’s genocidal war.

Hamas will not be "an obstacle to any arrangements achieved through national consensus that initiate reconstruction" in Gaza, he stressed.

In December, Hamas accepted an Egyptian proposal for forming "a community support committee" to run the post-war Gaza.

Egypt is set to host an emergency Arab summit on Tuesday to formulate a unified Arab stance on the Palestinian issue and present an Arab counterproposal to US plans for the displacement of Gaza's population.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. His plan was rejected by the Arab world and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Nearly 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 111,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since October 2023. The onslaught, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on Jan. 19.

Israel halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza on Sunday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to start negotiations on the second phase of a ceasefire deal between Tel Aviv and Hamas.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.