Gaza civilians see no change as Hamas retains administrative control despite US-backed transition plan

Gazans say daily life has not changed after Hamas announced it would dissolve its civilian administration as part of a U.S.-brokered cease-fire framework. Eyad Saleh, a 19-year-old who lost his university diploma during the conflict, told DW that he still had to visit the same government offices that operated before the war, adding, "There's nowhere else to go in Gaza except the institutions run by Hamas. The only entity providing services to residents is the same body that was in place before the war, with the same employees."

Na'ama Saeed, 39, who suffers from a chronic illness, said the Health Ministry remains the sole authority for issuing medical referral documents. "If there were another official body we could turn to without dealing with the current government, we would not hesitate," she said.

The U.S. peace plan, outlined in October 2025, called for a transitional body of independent Palestinian technocrats, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), to take over civilian functions. Although the committee began work in early 2026, its 15 members are still in Cairo awaiting Israeli permission to enter Gaza. "There is no change, nobody is stepping in to take over," Ghassan Khatib, a lecturer at Bir Zeit University, told DW. He noted that neither the United States nor Israel appears eager to support the transition, and the Palestinian Authority is barred from operating in the enclave.

Hamas has confirmed that its ministries and staff will remain in place while it continues to oversee security in the parts of Gaza it still controls, roughly 30 % of the territory. Israeli forces occupy the remaining 70 %, which the Israeli prime minister describes as a buffer zone.

The cease-fire process remains stalled, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Since the October 2025 truce, the Hamas-run Health Ministry reports more than 1,000 Palestinian deaths from Israeli strikes. Hamas has refused to disarm, stating it will not surrender weapons until Israeli attacks cease and forces withdraw.

Public opinion surveys indicate growing disenchantment with both Hamas and the rival Fatah party, though pollsters caution that the volatile environment may affect reliability. Meanwhile, humanitarian groups continue to criticize restrictions on aid deliveries, while Israeli civil administration officials claim otherwise. UN Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov condemned what he described as obstruction of aid by Gaza's de facto authorities and alleged that Hamas-linked armed men forced entry into a food distribution point in Jabalia, endangering aid workers. Hamas denied the allegation.

For many young Gazans like Saleh, the persistence of Hamas-run institutions underscores a desire for a new start, even as they navigate a complex political landscape.