Palestinian officials told the Post that Hamas has not agreed to surrender control of Gaza, despite announcing the dissolution of its emergency governing committee.

"Hamas hasn't declared an end to its rule in the Gaza Strip," a senior Palestinian official based in Ramallah said. "What they have done is announce the dissolution of what they call the emergency committee, but at the same time, they immediately declared that another temporary governing body would run the strip and appointed someone to head it."

The official said the move appears designed to bolster Hamas's position in negotiations taking place in Cairo over Gaza's future administration.

"They say they want to hand over authority to the technocratic committee, but I believe this is only as part of the discussions in Cairo, because they want to show that they are not the ones impeding the process," the official said. "They want to buy more time, hoping that future circumstances may work to their advantage."

The official added that a central unresolved issue remains whether Hamas would surrender its weapons, saying any future arrangement should adhere to the principle of "one authority and one weapon."

He argued that Hamas' arsenal should ultimately be transferred to the Palestinian Authority's recognized security institutions.

According to the official, Hamas is also seeking guarantees that members of its police and internal security forces would be incorporated into any new security structure established under a technocratic administration.

"Hamas wants its members to be allowed to carry weapons in a way that appears legal under the framework of the new technocratic committee, while in reality it would continue to guide their actions," he said.

A second Palestinian source similarly dismissed suggestions that Hamas had agreed to relinquish power.

"The resignation of one or two heads of Hamas' governmental committee does not mean the collapse of Hamas' rule in Gaza," the source said.

The source argued that Hamas is portraying itself as willing to step aside in order to shift responsibility for future governance arrangements to mediators and Israel while improving its international standing.

"They also want to secure financial support, knowing that the organization cannot obtain funding or international backing because it lacks legitimacy," the source said.

He added that Hamas views a proposed technocratic Palestinian committee as a vehicle through which international aid could flow into Gaza while allowing the group to rebuild its capabilities.

"The new technocratic Palestinian committee is recognized as legitimate, so Hamas is trying to use this arrangement to rebuild its infrastructure and embolden itself in the future," the source said.

The source also alleged that Hamas is pressing for its civil servants and other personnel to be integrated into the institutions of any future technocratic administration.

"Hamas' employees could be the eyes of the organization inside the new administrative body," the source said. "Hamas cannot give them up because through them it can continue to operate and play a role."

Hamas has publicly indicated a willingness to accept a technocratic administration for Gaza as part of broader negotiations over a ceasefire and postwar governance.

But it has not publicly committed to disarming, a demand repeatedly made by Israel and supported by the Palestinian Authority as a condition for any long-term political arrangement.