Hamas dissolution of Gaza government is a trick to keep weapons, expert warns

A woman walks past a mural depicting football player Lamine Yamal waving a Palestinian flag during the Catalans' title parade, painted by Palestinian artists on the rubble of buildings destroyed during the war, at Shati (Beach) refugee camp in Gaza City on May 13, 2026.

(photo credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas's announcement on the dissolution of its government was a ruse meant to maintain its weaponry, Col. (Res.) Dr. Moshe Elad, a Palestinian affairs expert from the Western Galilee Academic College, said on the 103FM radio show "Five in the Evening" on Monday.

"The intention is obviously mostly public, to pretend as though they have no interest in the current government," Elad clarified.

"When someone is told to give up their main asset, they say, 'I will give up something else instead.' They are being told to give up their weapons, so instead, they supposedly give up their governance. With the weapons left in their hands for the time being, they will be able to rule, without a shadow of a doubt. No other government will step into the slot they are vacating, which is why I think they are playing a very big trick here, and everyone understands it is a trick."