STORY: Hamas is seeking to incorporate its 10,000 police officers into a new U.S.-backed Palestinian administration for Gaza, sources say.
Israel is likely to oppose the demand.
:: October 13, 2025 / Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
Islamist group Hamas retains control of just under half of Gaza following an October ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
:: Israeli army
:: Released August 1, 2025 / Given as Gaza
That deal ties further troop withdrawals - from the more than 50% of Gaza Israel still holds - to Hamas giving up its weapons.
Trump's plan, now in its second phase, calls for day-to-day governance of Gaza to be handed to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a Palestinian technocratic body that's overseen by the United States.
The governing committee is meant to exclude Hamas.
But in a letter to staff on Sunday, seen by Reuters, Gaza's Hamas-run government assured its more than 40,000 civil servants and security personnel that it was working to incorporate them into the new government.
That would include the roughly 10,000-strong Hamas-run police force, four sources familiar with the matter said.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Reuters the group was ready to hand over governance to the body and its chair, Ali Shaath.
"Security will certainly be one of the areas that the current government here in the Gaza Strip will hand over to the independent national committee headed by Dr. Shaath."
"We certainly have full confidence that it will operate on the basis of benefiting from qualified personnel and not wasting the rights of anyone who worked during the previous period."
Hamas' plans for its police force and workers point to major differences with Israel, which is backed by the United States.
It was not immediately clear whether Israel, which has adamantly rejected any Hamas involvement in Gaza's future, would agree to those plans.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office didn't respond to a request for comment.
