Hamas's Secret Plan to Maintain Control of Gaza
by Khaled Abu Toameh • February 9, 2026 at 5:00 am
"[T]he document outlines an operational framework in which the technocratic government appears to function, while the actual management of systems, the flow of information, and control over the civil administration remain in Hamas's hands." – Elior Levy, Channel 11 Kan News, February 2, 2026.
Hamas wants Trump's Board of Peace and the technocratic committee to focus on reconstruction, economic projects, and paying salaries to Palestinian civil servants while it continues, through a shadow government, to effectively rule the Gaza Strip, manufacture stockpile weaponry and prepare for a new attack on Israel, similar to its October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel's southern communities.
There can be no peace, security or stability in the Gaza Strip if the same terrorists who murdered, tortured, and mutilated thousands of Israelis and foreign nationals on October 7 are given new uniforms, rearmed and allowed to serve as a paramilitary force. There also can be no peace, security, or stability in the Gaza Strip so long as Hamas is permitted to function as a shadow government in the Gaza Strip. The talk about allowing Hamas to "freeze" or "store" its weapons is misguided and falls short of the full disarmament (decommissioning weapons) required by the Trump plan.
With countries such as Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan sitting on Trump's Board of Peace, it is hard to see how Hamas could ever be forced to lay down its weapons and give up control of the Gaza Strip. These countries -- longtime sponsors and funders of Hamas -- will never take part in any effort to disarm Hamas or remove it from power. What we are witnessing is a clear attempt by Hamas and its Arab and Muslim sponsors to hoodwink the Trump administration and the rest of the international community.
Will Trump choose to fall for it and join the Legacy of Losers -- like British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain? Chamberlain will forever be recalled waving a fraudulent piece of paper and idiotically claiming that he had achieved "peace for our time." Is that how Trump would like to be remembered throughout history?
More than four months after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip went into effect, Hamas has still not laid down its weapons despite repeated warnings by US President Donald J. Trump. Hamas, in fact, not only continues to rule large parts of the Gaza Strip that are still under its control but also seems to be working hard to rearm, regroup and reassert its control over areas of the Gaza Strip from which the Israel Defense Forces have withdrawn.
According to Israeli security sources:
"Hamas recently strengthened its control over the Gaza Strip by stealing humanitarian aid and selling it to local residents, recruiting young men in mosques, collecting taxes, and kidnapping and torturing anyone who dares to speak out against the terror group."
A secret document obtained by Israel's Channel 11 Kan News reveals how Hamas is planning to control and run the Gaza Strip under the nose of the newly established Palestinian technocratic committee:
