Hamas Strengthens Control in Gaza Despite Trump Peace Initiative

Hamas is solidifying its authority in Gaza by installing loyalists in government positions and collecting taxes, according to Israeli military reports. The militant group's expanding influence raises doubts about President Trump's peace plan, which requires Hamas to disarm in exchange for Israeli withdrawal.

The militant organization Hamas is strengthening its authority across Gaza by positioning loyal supporters in crucial government positions while resuming tax collection and salary payments, according to Israeli military intelligence documents obtained by Reuters and Palestinian sources within the territory.

This expanding control by Hamas has raised serious questions about the viability of President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace initiative, which demands the organization surrender its weapons in return for Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza.

Trump’s newly formed international Board of Peace, tasked with overseeing Gaza’s transition period, convened its first session in Washington on Thursday.

“Hamas is advancing steps on the ground meant to preserve its influence and grip in the Gaza Strip ‘from the bottom up’ by means of integrating its supporters in government offices, security apparatuses and local authorities,” military officials stated in documentation provided to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during late January.

While Hamas claims readiness to transfer administrative control to a U.S.-supported panel of Palestinian technical experts led by former Palestinian Authority official Ali Shaath, the organization maintains that Israel has prevented committee members from entering Gaza to begin their duties.

Netanyahu’s office did not respond to inquiries regarding Hamas’ territorial control. However, an unnamed Israeli government representative rejected any future involvement by the group as a “twisted fantasy,” declaring: “Hamas is finished as a governing authority in the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli military leadership declined commentary on Hamas’ claims.

Military sources indicate that Hamas, which continues to refuse disarmament, has utilized the October ceasefire agreement to reestablish dominance in regions previously occupied by Israeli forces. While Israel maintains control over more than half of Gaza’s territory, nearly all 2 million residents live within Hamas-controlled zones.

Reuters was unable to verify the complete extent of Hamas’ personnel appointments and revenue collection efforts.

The organization has designated five regional governors, all connected to its military wing known as the al-Qassam Brigades, according to two Palestinian sources with direct operational knowledge. Additionally, Hamas has installed new leadership within Gaza’s economic and interior departments, which oversee taxation and security functions, these sources confirmed.

A newly appointed deputy health minister appeared in ministry footage touring Gaza medical facilities released this month.

“Shaath may have the key to the car, and he may even be allowed to drive, but it is a Hamas car,” one source explained to Reuters.

Israeli military analysis appears to support this assessment.

“Looking ahead, without Hamas disarmament and under the auspices of the technocrat committee, Hamas will succeed, in our view, to preserve influence and control in the Gaza Strip,” the military evaluation concluded, initially reported by Israel’s Channel 13 news.

Ismail al-Thawabta, spokesperson for the Hamas-controlled government’s media department, disputed claims of new appointments, explaining that interim replacements were necessary for positions vacated during wartime to “prevent any administrative vacuum” and maintain essential services for residents while peace negotiations continue.

Neither the U.S. State Department nor Shaath’s National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) immediately provided responses to requests for comment.

A source familiar with the 15-member NCAG indicated awareness of Hamas’ activities and expressed dissatisfaction with these developments.

On Saturday, the committee released a statement calling on international mediators to accelerate resolution of pending issues, noting it cannot fulfill its responsibilities “without the full administrative, civilian, and police powers necessary to implement its mandate effectively.”

The establishment of Shaath’s committee in January initiated the subsequent phase of Trump’s Gaza war resolution strategy, despite incomplete fulfillment of first-phase requirements, including complete cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.

The Board of Peace anticipates receiving progress reports on the committee’s activities Thursday.

Trump is also expected to announce participating countries that will provide personnel for a U.N.-authorized stabilization force and assist in training new Palestinian police units, which the NCAG would supervise.

Hamas seeks to integrate 10,000 of its police officers into the new force, Reuters previously reported. This includes hundreds from its influential internal security division, which has merged with police operations, according to two Gaza sources.

Hamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding this claim.

When asked whether Israel would address Hamas’ entrenchment concerns during Thursday’s meeting, Netanyahu’s office provided no comment.

Israel has repeatedly stated its opposition to any Hamas involvement in Gaza following the group’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people according to Israeli records. Israel’s subsequent air and ground offensive has resulted in more than 72,000 deaths, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.

“Dismantling Hamas governing capabilities” in Gaza was identified as a primary objective of Israel’s military campaign.

Hamas assumed territorial control following a brief 2007 civil conflict with political rival Fatah. Since then, government ministry and municipal appointments have been determined by Hamas’ political leadership, which also established an independent civil service employing tens of thousands.

Currently, at least 14 of Gaza’s 17 ministries are operational, compared to five during peak warfare, according to Israeli military documentation. Additionally, at least 13 of 25 municipalities have resumed services.

Hamas spokesperson Thawabta characterized “this relative recovery” as unrelated to “political considerations.”

“The organisational measures taken during the past period were necessary to prevent the collapse of the service system and do not conflict with any future arrangements agreed upon,” he stated to Reuters.

According to sources, Hamas appointed five governors and four mayors to replace individuals killed or removed during the conflict. The selection of candidates with armed wing connections for gubernatorial positions was intended to suppress criminal gangs, some of which had received weapons and funding from Israel, sources explained.

Netanyahu acknowledged Israeli support for anti-Hamas tribal groups in June, though Israel has disclosed limited details.

Following a violent crackdown against opponents during the truce’s initial weeks, Hamas has concentrated on maintaining public safety and collecting taxes within its portion of the “yellow line” demarcating Israeli and Hamas territories, according to Israeli military officials and Gaza sources.

“There is no opposition to Hamas within the yellow line now, and it is taking over all economic aspects of daily life,” an Israeli military official told Reuters.

Gaza political analyst Mustafa Ibrahim reported that theft and robbery have ceased.

“Hamas is trying to organise markets and streets through the traffic police,” Ibrahim observed. “Police stations have reopened… The tax department and economy ministry are working and collecting.”

Hamas primarily collects revenue from private sector businesses, according to military documents. This includes fees imposed on Gaza merchants importing smuggled items such as cigarettes, batteries, solar panels, and mobile phones, according to three additional sources, including one merchant.

The organization has generated hundreds of millions of shekels through cigarette smuggling taxes since the war began, according to an Israeli indictment filed this month against a suspected smuggling network that includes Israeli reservists deployed in Gaza.

Hamas has continued salary payments to government employees and fighters, averaging approximately 1,500 shekels (about $500) monthly, according to at least four Hamas sources.

“Every moment of delay in allowing the technocratic committee to enter the Gaza Strip leads to the imposition of a de facto reality,” stated Palestinian political analyst Reham Owda, “increasing the administrative and security control of the Hamas government in Gaza.”