GAZA/WASHINGTON – Hamas affirmed on Tuesday its readiness to hand over governance in the Gaza Strip, while accusing Nickolay Mladenov, "high representative for Gaza" of the US-led "Board of Peace", of obstructing the work of the Gaza technocratic committee.
Hamas is "categorically and decisively ready to hand over all areas of governance, including security, to the national committee that was agreed upon and is still in Cairo," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told reporters in Gaza.
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Claims by some parties suggesting Hamas refuses to hand over governance in Gaza "are lies and a disinformation campaign aimed at inciting against the movement and giving the Israeli occupation a pretext to escalate its aggression in Gaza," Qassem said.
Israel is preventing the committee from entering through the crossings, he added, accusing both Israel and Mladenov of obstructing the handover process.
On May 13, during a press conference in Jerusalem after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mladenov called on the political leadership governing Gaza to step down immediately.
A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip has been in effect since Oct 10, 2025. Its first phase included an exchange of prisoners and detainees between the two sides, the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from some areas.
The United States announced in mid-January the start of the second phase of its proposed peace plan, which includes a complete Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, the commencement of reconstruction efforts, and the establishment of a transitional governing body in the enclave.
'Not part of US plan'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's goal of seizing 70 percent of the Gaza Strip was not part of the US-drafted 20-point plan to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas and rebuild the territory, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.
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"We have a plan – it doesn't call for that," Rubio told US lawmakers at a hearing.
"And at the end of the day, we understand that what we want, and I think what the Israelis would ultimately want, is a Gaza that is governed by a non-Hamas (entity)," Rubio said.
Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had issued a directive to increase the Israeli military's control over the Gaza Strip from 60 percent to 70 percent of the territory.
3 Palestinians killed
Three Palestinians were killed on Monday by Israeli fire in central and southern Gaza, according to a Palestinian source.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua an Israeli airstrike targeted a civilian vehicle in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killing one Palestinian and wounding others.
In al-Zawayda, also in central Gaza, one Palestinian was killed and several others injured in an Israeli shelling, according to Basal.
In southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian was killed by Israeli army fire near Hamad City, northwest of Khan Younis, he added.
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There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on these incidents.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Tuesday that "Over the past several days, the IDF eliminated five terrorists from multiple terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip who were advancing imminent terror attacks against IDF troops."
Meanwhile, Gaza-based health authorities said on Tuesday that hospitals in the Gaza Strip received one dead and nine wounded in the past 24 hours.
In a press statement, the authorities added that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire since the ceasefire in Gaza in October 2025 has reached 933, while the total number of injuries has reached 2,868, bringing the overall toll since Oct 7, 2023, to 72,942 dead and 172,967 wounded.
