Hamas Ready To Transfer Gaza Control To US-Backed Palestinian Committee: ‘Protocols Prepared’

Last Updated:January 28, 2026, 20:19 IST

Hamas offers to hand Gaza Strip governance to a Palestinian committee and demands full reopening of Rafah border crossing without Israeli restrictions, AFP reports.

Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard at a site as Hamas says it continues to search for the bodies of deceased hostages, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Hamas on Wednesday said it is ready to transfer governance of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian committee, while also calling for the full reopening of the Rafah border crossing without what it described as Israeli restrictions, AFP reported on Wednesday.

“Protocols are prepared, files are complete, and committees are in place to oversee the handover, ensuring a complete transfer of governance in the Gaza Strip across all sectors to the technocratic committee," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem was quoted as saying by the French news agency.

Qassem added that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt “must be opened in both directions, with full freedom of exit and entry to the Gaza Strip, without any Israeli obstacles".

The Committee for the Administration of Gaza is a technocratic body proposed under a US-backed post-war plan unveiled in January 2025, which includes oversight by an international “Board of Peace" announced by US President Donald Trump, according to Reuters.

The committee is tasked with managing Gaza’s civil administration during a transitional phase, including restoring basic services and rebuilding public institutions. It is headed by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy minister and is positioned as a non-partisan mechanism focused on stabilising daily life rather than political rule.

The Rafah crossing has been a key focus of recent diplomatic talks. On January 25, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reopen the Gaza–Egypt crossing during meetings in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported, according to AFP.

News world Hamas Ready To Transfer Gaza Control To US-Backed Palestinian Committee: ‘Protocols Prepared’

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