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Hamas appoints new head of government administration in Gaza

June 12, 2021 at 1:06 pm

Member of Hamas Political Bureau Essam Al-Dalis (L) as Hamas delegation head to the Egyptian capital Cairo to continue talks regarding the upcoming Palestinian elections on 15 March 2021 in Gaza [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has appointed a new official to run the government administration in the besieged Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the new head of government administration was identified as member of Hamas Political Bureau Essam Al-Dalis, who succeeded Mohammed Awad.

Since 2017, due to the retention of internal Palestinian division, Hamas has been running the Gaza Strip through an administration led by one of its senior officials.

Hamas won the overwhelming majority of seats in the Palestinian Parliament in free elections held in 2006. The West, the US, Arab states, the Israeli occupation and the Fatah movement rejected the result of the elections.

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This situation led to over a year of internal conflict ending with Hamas taking over the Gaza Strip from Fatah on 14 July, 2007. Fatah, backed by Israel, cracked down on Hamas officials in the occupied West Bank.

Several regional and international mediations failed to unite them, the last of which was in 2017, when Hamas made unlimited concessions to Fatah.

Since then, Hamas has been running the besieged enclave through a committee, referred to as the Hamas government in Gaza.