23 days ago
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Hamas militant group said Monday it had dissolved its government in Gaza and is preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal.
Hamas did not say whether it planned to take the crucial step of disarming or handing over security to an international force, but described its decision as evidence of its commitment to Gaza's reconstruction after years of war.
It was unclear if the move, announced by a lower-level official, would lead to any meaningful change on the ground.
The Board of Peace, the new entity led by President Donald Trump with the mandate of governing and rebuilding Gaza, said it was aware of the Hamas announcement but would ******* s the impact based on "actions, not promises." The board stressed in a statement on X that the technocratic committee must control all weapons in Gaza, as laid out in the ceasefire agreement.
At a news conference Monday, Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, said "only technical and professional staff" would remain in their positions to run the Palestinian enclave's day-to-day affairs.
Hamas did not say whether it planned to take the crucial step of disarming or handing over security to an international force, but described its decision as evidence of its commitment to Gaza's reconstruction after years of war.
It was unclear if the move, announced by a lower-level official, would lead to any meaningful change on the ground.
The Board of Peace, the new entity led by President Donald Trump with the mandate of governing and rebuilding Gaza, said it was aware of the Hamas announcement but would ******* s the impact based on "actions, not promises." The board stressed in a statement on X that the technocratic committee must control all weapons in Gaza, as laid out in the ceasefire agreement.
At a news conference Monday, Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, said "only technical and professional staff" would remain in their positions to run the Palestinian enclave's day-to-day affairs.
24 days ago
Fireworks illuminated the night skies across the country for the United States' 250th birthday but not before severe storm warnings put a pause on some of the biggest celebrations. A massive record-setting display filled the night sky over the capital, while The Parade of Sail featured dozens of tall ships from 20 countries made up the largest gathering in American history. NBC's Valerie Castro reports for Sunday TODAY.
26 days ago
Four months after he was killed at the outset of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is being memorialized in a weeklong funeral spectacle stretching across five cities in two countries, with millions of mourners expected to attend.
Despite a costly war against two of the world's strongest militaries and decades of crushing economic hardship, Tehran is sparing no expense to send off Khamenei in a grand ceremony shrouded in religious symbolism that overlaps with the 250th US Independence Day celebrations.
Authorities say they've launched one of the largest logistical efforts in the Islamic Republic's history, mobilizing government employees, universities, labor unions, firefighters, soldiers, aid workers and even religious "mourning groups" to organize the funeral and manage the millions of "pilgrims" expected to travel to cities and holy sites across Iran and Iraq to bid the ayatollah farewell. Authorities in neighboring Iraq, where Shiite Muslims are a majority, say millions of mourners are expected to pay respects.
For more than ten days, the overwhelming coverage across Iranian media has been building up to this moment, with tribute songs and documentaries on Khamenei's life overtaking news of talks with the US that had previously dominated headlines. The scale of the spectacle is designed to send a message to the world and to the Islamic Republic's enemies: The regime not only survived an existential war, but will stubbornly immortalize its slain leader as a symbol of its resilience.
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Despite a costly war against two of the world's strongest militaries and decades of crushing economic hardship, Tehran is sparing no expense to send off Khamenei in a grand ceremony shrouded in religious symbolism that overlaps with the 250th US Independence Day celebrations.
Authorities say they've launched one of the largest logistical efforts in the Islamic Republic's history, mobilizing government employees, universities, labor unions, firefighters, soldiers, aid workers and even religious "mourning groups" to organize the funeral and manage the millions of "pilgrims" expected to travel to cities and holy sites across Iran and Iraq to bid the ayatollah farewell. Authorities in neighboring Iraq, where Shiite Muslims are a majority, say millions of mourners are expected to pay respects.
For more than ten days, the overwhelming coverage across Iranian media has been building up to this moment, with tribute songs and documentaries on Khamenei's life overtaking news of talks with the US that had previously dominated headlines. The scale of the spectacle is designed to send a message to the world and to the Islamic Republic's enemies: The regime not only survived an existential war, but will stubbornly immortalize its slain leader as a symbol of its resilience.
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