By Taghreed Saadeh
Today, Hamas closes the chapter on twenty years of its rule over the Gaza Strip, a rule marked by an iron fist and enforced through military power, during which the movement monopolized control over the territory at the expense of the unity of the Palestinian national project. The geographic and political division between Gaza and the West Bank became one of its most prominent consequences.
However, following October 7 and the unprecedented war on the Strip from Israeli occupation military that ensued, the movement finds itself with no real options, compelled to accept the reality on the ground and acquiesce to the return of the Palestinian Authority, the legitimate governing body, to rule Gaza under a “consensus technocratic” formula supported by Arab and Islamic backing.
During its rule, Gaza witnessed six major wars, in addition to a brief conflict led solely by the Islamic Jihad movement:
2008–2009 (Operation Cast Lead): Lasted 22 days, resulting in approximately 1,400 Palestinian deaths, including hundreds of women and children.
2012 (Operation Pillar of Defense): Lasted 8 days, with more than 170 Palestinians killed.
2014 (Operation Protective Edge): Lasted 51 days, claiming over 2,200 lives and causing tens of thousands of injuries and displacements.
2018 (Great March of Return clashes): Included intermittent days of bombardment, resulting in more than 200 deaths.
2021 (Operation Guardian of the Walls): Lasted 11 days, with around 260 Palestinians killed.
October 7, 2023 war: The deadliest and most destructive to date, with casualties exceeding 66,000, causing unprecedented devastation across most of the Strip.
Hamas’ latest statement, written in the blood of tens of thousands of Palestinians, differs from all previous declarations. The movement announced its immediate approval to negotiate the release of hostages through a prisoner exchange—a significant shift from its traditional stance, which was always marked by rejection or preconditions.
For the first time, the statement also acknowledged Hamas’ willingness to hand over the administration of Gaza, even conditionally, to a Palestinian consensus authority. This was coupled with a practical response to a direct U.S. warning from President Donald Trump, who had threatened the movement with “hell unlike any seen before” if it did not comply by the specified deadline.
At its core, the statement seeks to project a nationally unifying stance, upholding the idea of the Palestinian Authority rather than single-party rule. Yet it simultaneously reflects unprecedented military and political pressures that have driven Hamas to adopt a defensive rather than offensive tone, and a rescue-oriented rather than ideological one.
Hamas’ shift from a discourse of “exclusive resistance” to one of “handing over to the consensus Palestinian Authority” is not voluntary; it reflects a harsh reality, years of division and unilateral rule have come to an end, and the aftermath of October 7 no longer allows the continuation of the old model.
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