Timeline: 20 years of Hamas rule in Gaza, from election to political exit
East Africa News
With the dissolution of its emergency government, the Palestinian group ends a two-decade era defined by a crippling blockade, successive wars, and shifting administrative bodies.
Following 20 years of governance shaped by a suffocating siege, deeply entrenched political divisions, and relentless military conflict, Hamas has officially dissolved its Government Emergency Committee in the Gaza Strip, a body that effectively ran the Palestinian territory.
The move transfers administrative authority to a newly formed technocratic body, marking an historic pivot for the besieged enclave.
Regional Impact
The handover to the “National Committee for the Administration of Gaza“, operating under the internationally backed “Gaza Peace Council,” officially concludes a turbulent era. However, some analysts believe that this transition — and its significance — cannot be fully understood without examining the milestones of the blockade, targeted destruction, and international political exclusion that preceded it.
2006: A democratic victory and an immediate siege
The trajectory of Hamas’s rule began on January 26, 2006, when the group won a massive and unexpected majority in the Palestinian parliamentary elections. Hamas secured 76 out of 132 seats, defeating the long-ruling Fatah movement, which won only 43 seats. The election saw a heavy turnout, with nearly 78 percent of 1.3 million eligible voters in Gaza casting ballots.
Analysis
At the time, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh attempted to reassure the international community that the group was a “mature movement” that was politically open. However, Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi warned at the time that the victory could lead the Palestinians into international isolation.
Her fears materialised almost immediately. Rather than leading to political integration, the victory triggered a severe Israeli economic and security blockade in the first half of 2006.
Palestinian political researcher Mohammad Al-Aila recalled how no international or local party questioned the integrity of the elections, yet Western powers that claim to celebrate democracy rejected the results when they showed a political winner misaligned with their interests. When initial attempts to absorb and moderate the group failed, the international system pivoted to a strict policy of exclusion.
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