Hamas to dissolve emergency government in Gaza

Hamas has announced it is dissolving its emergency government in Gaza, as part of a process to hand control of the strip to a Palestinian technocratic committee backed by the United States.

The National Committee for Gaza Administration (NCAG) was established last year, when the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

But to this point it has been operating from the Egyptian capital Cairo rather than inside the war-ravaged strip, with Hamas accusing Israel of blocking its access.

In a statement read to media outside a hospital in central Gaza, Hamas officials announced the resignation of senior members of the government.

But they added some people would remain in senior positions in Gaza's administration were "solely technical and professional personnel".

"They will continue performing their duties to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of public services to our people and to prevent any administrative or technical vacuum that could harm our citizens," they said.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the next phases of the ceasefire have stalled, with each side accusing the other of breaching the fragile deal.

More than one thousand people have been killed in Israeli strikes since October, when the truce came into force, and Israeli forces have seized more territory in the strip.

Hamas has to this point refused to lay down its weapons, which Israel says is a precondition for withdrawing from territory under the deal.

Over the weekend, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported the militant group was stalling negotiations for its disarmament because it viewed the Israeli government as doing the same ahead of elections due by the end of October.

In response to the resignation, the network quoted a senior Israeli official casting doubt on the significance of the announcement.

"The apparent resignation of the Hamas government, in which all its members remain in office, is a spin that has no meaning," KAN quoted the official.

"Hamas fears that it will be declared a violator of the agreement, and therefore it is stalling for time and spinning spin."

The ABC has asked the Israeli Prime Minister's office for comment.

The Sund Palestinian News Agency quoted the head of the NCAG, Ali Shaath saying his organisation was ready to take over governance "as soon as the necessary resources and capabilities are available."

"The fundamental requirements for the Committee's success are a single authority, a single law with a clear mandate, and a single armed force under the authority of this power," he was quoted as saying.

"This will ensure the necessary political, administrative, and security environment to enable the Committee to effectively perform its duties and serve the interests of all our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."

Conflicts elsewhere in the Middle East, from Iran to Lebanon, have taken much of the international attention away from the situation in Gaza.

In late May the Trump-appointed Board of Peace's High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov had warned of the "risks of inaction" in the strip if negotiations remained stalled.