Hamas has said it will dissolve the Gaza government after the new Palestinian Authority takes over

CAIRO (AP) — Hamas said Sunday that the Palestinian Technical Leadership Committee will dissolve its government in Gaza after seizing the territory, as required under a U.S.-brokered peace plan. But the group gave no explanation as to when the change would take place.

Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority, the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinians, have not announced the names of the technocrats, who are not politically affiliated, and it remains unclear whether they will be cleared by Israel and the US.

The “Peace Board,” an international body headed by Trump, is supposed to oversee the government and other aspects of the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, including the disarmament of Hamas and the deployment of international security forces. The members of the board have not been announced.

Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise in Gaza since the cease-fire, with three Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire, according to Palestinian hospital officials.

The truce began with Israel halting fighting to release hostages in Gaza in exchange for thousands of Palestinians held captive. The deal is still in its early stages as efforts continue to return the last remaining hostages in Gaza.

An Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information behind closed doors, said Hamas is sending a delegation to negotiate with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish officials about moving to the second phase.

Future Gaza governance flows

In comments posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem called for the establishment of a technical committee to be expedited.

The Egyptian official said Hamas would meet with other Palestinian factions this week to finalize the formation of the committee. The Hamas delegation will be headed by top negotiator Khalil al-Haya, the official said.

Trump has said that the “Peace Board” will oversee the committee and handle the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of international security forces, the further pullback of Israeli forces and the reconstruction of Gaza. The US has reported little progress on any of these fronts, although board members are expected to be announced this week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov has been selected as the director general of the board. Mladenov is a former Bulgarian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs who served as the UN Envoy for Iraq from 2015 to 2020 before being appointed as the UN Middle East Peace Envoy. At the time, he had a good working relationship with Israel and frequently worked to ease Israel-Hamas tensions.

On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Jerusalem. Saar said Israel remains committed to implementing Trump’s plan, while Motegi expressed Japan’s willingness to play an active role in the ceasefire.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Motegi visited the Civil-Military Coordination Center where the ceasefire is being monitored. He was also scheduled to meet with Netanyahu and Palestinian officials in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Violence continues in Gaza

Two men were shot dead in the southern Gaza city of Bani Suhaila, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. Earlier on Sunday, a man was killed by Israeli gunfire in the Tufah neighborhood of Gaza City, according to Al-Ahli Hospital, which received the body.

In response to questions about the Tufah incident, Israel’s military said it had shot dead a “terrorist” who approached the army in northern Gaza. In a later statement, the army said it had killed a “terrorist” in southern Gaza who approached the army.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire. Continued Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 400 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

The Israeli military has said any action since the start of the ceasefire has been in response to violations of the agreement.

Israeli police have arrested a high-ranking official

Israeli police said Sunday they were questioning a top official in Netanyahu’s office over possible obstruction of an investigation into the leaking of classified military information to a German tabloid last year.

Israeli media identified the official as Netanyahu’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman, who is expected to serve as the United Kingdom’s next ambassador in the coming months.

He is the latest official to be embroiled in the scandal, in which Netanyahu’s inner circle is accused of leaking classified information to the German tabloid Bild to improve public perception of the prime minister after the killing of six hostages in Gaza in 2024.

It came after an explosive interview by Cannes News with former Netanyahu spokesman Eli Feldstein, who described a secret meeting in an underground parking lot with Braverman in the middle of the night regarding the leak. Feldstein, who has been indicted, said Braverman offered to “shut down” the investigation into the leaked information.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid immediately called for Braverman’s suspension as ambassador. “It is unacceptable that a person suspected of obstructing a serious security investigation should be the face of Israel in the most important country in Europe,” Lapid wrote in X.

In response, Saar defended Braverman’s appointment and said he would not be removed unless formally indicted or prosecuted.

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Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

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This version is correct in 2024 killing the six hostages.

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Find more of AP’s Israel-Hamas coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war