Uncertainty over who governs Gaza after Israel drives out Hamas

Since 2007, the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been in control of the coastal territory, where approximately 2.4 million people reside.

Israel imposed a strict blockade on Gaza, regulating the movement of people and goods in and out of the region.

The power shift occurred in 2007 when Hamas seized control after engaging in street battles with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

In a recent statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed that the PA should reclaim control of the Gaza Strip from Hamas, with the possibility of international entities playing a role during the interim period, AFP reported.

Presently, the Palestinian Authority holds partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

However, during a meeting with Blinken earlier this month, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas asserted that the PA could only assume power in Gaza if a "comprehensive political solution" is reached for the long-standing Israel-Palestinian conflict, including not only the Gaza Strip but also the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the report said.

Abbas underlined the need for a holistic resolution before considering the transfer of governance in Gaza from Hamas to the Palestinian Authority.

Mahmoud Abbas (88), who has served as the leader of the Palestinian Authority (PA) for 18 years, is facing widespread unpopularity.

He has been unable to counter the swift expansion of Israeli settlements and military dominance in the West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a proponent of sidelining the PA, asserted on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News that Israel does not intend to reoccupy Gaza, according to the report.

It is noteworthy that Israel had initially occupied Gaza in 1967 and maintained its presence until completing a withdrawal in 2005. Subsequently, the local authority was transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

"We don't seek to govern Gaza. We don't seek to occupy it, but we seek to give it and us a better future," Netanyahu said, according to the report.

Netanyahu, who is facing pressure on rolling out a plan for Gaza’s future, said the impoverished and blockaded territory must be "demilitarised, deradicalised and rebuilt."

Israel launched its military operation in Gaza in response to an incursion by Hamas fighters who breached the heavily fortified border on October 7. The surprise attack resulted in the death of nearly 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and the capture of around 240 hostages.

"I do not believe that any actor will agree to govern Gaza in these circumstances," said Hasan Khreisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, which has not met since 2007, according to the AFP report.

"No Palestinian, no sane person will agree to return to Gaza on an American or Israeli tank."

Earlier this week, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official based in Lebanon, stated that the organization will not tolerate a subservient government in the Gaza Strip and intends to maintain its presence in the region.

"Our people will not allow the United States to impose its plans to create an administration that suits it and that suits the occupation (Israel)," he was quoted as saying by AFP.