Exclusive: Hamas seeks role for its police in Gaza ahead of disarmament talks, sources say

Hamas is seeking to incorporate its 10,000 police officers into a new US-backed Palestinian administration for Gaza, sources say, a demand likely to be opposed by Israel as the militant group debates whether to surrender its arms.

Islamist group Hamas retains control of just under half of Gaza following an October ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump. The agreement ties further Israeli troop withdrawals to Hamas giving up its weapons.

The 20-point plan to end the war, now in its second phase, calls for the governance of Gaza to be handed to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body with US oversight that is meant to exclude Hamas.

Hamas urges personnel to cooperate with commission

In a letter to staff on Sunday, seen by Reuters, Gaza's Hamas-run government urged its more than 40,000 civil servants and security personnel to cooperate with the NCAG but assured them it was working to incorporate them into the new government.

That would include the roughly 10,000-strong Hamas-run police force, four sources familiar with the matter said, a demand that has not been previously reported. Many of them have been patrolling Gaza as Hamas reasserts its grip in areas under its control.

It was not immediately clear whether Israel, which has adamantly rejected any Hamas involvement in Gaza's future, would agree to the civil and security workers' inclusion in the NCAG.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Major sticking points remain

Hamas' plans for its police force and workers point to wide gaps between Hamas and Israel, backed by the US, as Trump pushes ahead with his plans.

Last week, Trump hosted a signing ceremony to establish his "Board of Peace" that will serve as a transitional administration to set the framework and coordinate funding for the redevelopment of Gaza. The framework includes a provision barring "foreign terrorist organisations" from participating in governance.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Reuters the group was prepared to hand over governance to the 15-member NCAG and its chair, Ali Shaath, with immediate effect.

"We (have full confidence that it will operate based on benefiting from qualified personnel and not wasting the rights of anyone who worked during the previous period," Qassem said, referring to the inclusion of the 40,000 personnel.

The four sources said Hamas is open to the NCAG restructuring ministries and sending some workers into retirement. Mass dismissals risked chaos, the sources said.

Hamas and NCAG Chair Shaath have not yet met in person to discuss governance, a Hamas official said. Shaath's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Another issue was whether Sami Nasman, the former Palestinian Authority general assigned to oversee security under the NCAG, would be able to operate effectively, a Palestinian official said.

Nasman, originally from Gaza, moved to the occupied West Bank after Hamas routed Palestinian Authority forces from the enclave in 2007 following a brief civil war. A Hamas court in Gaza later sentenced him in absentia, accusing him of instigating chaos. Nasman denies this.

Possibility of neutralising arms

Trump's administration wants to see heavy weapons decommissioned immediately, with "personal arms registered and decommissioned by sector as (the) NCAG police become capable of guaranteeing personal security," according to a document shared by the White House last week.

A US official said today (27 January) that Hamas fighters would be granted some sort of amnesty.

The militant group is still believed to possess rockets, which several diplomats estimated to number in the hundreds. It is also estimated to possess thousands of light weapons, including rifles.

Hamas recently agreed to discuss disarmament with other Palestinian factions and with mediators, sources said. However, two Hamas officials told Reuters that neither Washington nor the mediators had presented the group with any detailed or concrete disarmament proposal.

A Palestinian official close to the disarmament talks said the US had approached Hamas to explore potential disarmament mechanisms involving parties including Israel, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

"Hamas has spoken about the possibility of neutralising arms, which could be achieved if there is a truce, and it is ready for a long-term ceasefire; five years or a little longer," the official said.

"But Hamas strongly believes that a serious political negotiation process must begin on Palestinian statehood, whereby weapons and fighters would come under the authority of the State of Palestine," the official said.

Hamas is not the only militant group in the enclave to possess arms. A source in a Gaza faction allied with Hamas said other groups were discussing disarmament but worried about being left defenseless.

In remarks to parliament on Monday, Netanyahu said that the next phase of the Gaza deal "is not reconstruction."

Rather, he said, "the next phase is demilitarisation of the Strip and disarming Hamas."