Did Hamas Agree to Hand Over Gaza Crossings to the Palestinian Authority?

Saudi media outlets, quoting unnamed sources from Hamas, reported that the movement has agreed in meetings with Fatah to hand over the management of Gaza to the latter, including control of the border crossings.

In response, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa stated on Wednesday that Fatah and Hamas will soon meet in Cairo. He added that the Palestinian Authority will manage Gaza after the war, with the involvement of “everyone.”

Mustafa told Al Jazeera, “There are ongoing discussions for an imminent meeting between Fatah and Hamas to reach understandings that will help in organizing matters for the benefit of our people in Gaza in the upcoming phase.”

He also mentioned that the meeting “will be held in Cairo very soon, and there is a possibility of expanded meetings with other factions afterward.”

Hamas has not officially commented on the reports by Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels, these saudi channels who support the genocide and zionist army. However, in earlier statements to Arabi21, Hamas’s Head of National Relations, Hussam Badran, affirmed that the movement’s stance on post-war arrangements remains “firm and clear,” stressing that organizing Palestinian affairs in Gaza and the West Bank is “a Palestinian matter based on national consensus.”

Badran emphasized that the day after the war is “a Palestinian issue that we will not allow any regional or international party to interfere in,” reiterating that “Hamas calls for the formation of a national unity government to manage the affairs of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.”

Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan previously confirmed that the movement seeks “joint Palestinian governance” of the besieged and war-torn Gaza Strip after the ongoing Israeli aggression, which has lasted more than eleven months, is halted.

Hamdan, a member of the political bureau, told AFP in an interview, “The day after must be Palestinian. We went to Beijing, negotiated as Palestinians, and agreed on forming a national unity government to manage Palestinian affairs in Gaza.”

On the other hand, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing high-level sources in the Palestinian Authority, reported that the Authority currently manages civil affairs in Gaza, such as education, health, water, and energy, while Hamas controls security with its military power.

The newspaper also claimed that Hamas is aware that the issue of the crossings is settled and that Israel will not relinquish its condition of maintaining security control over them. Thus, Hamas is expected to hand over the crossings to the Palestinian Authority, which deals with “Israel.”