In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website regarding the issue of governing Gaza after Hamas or Fatah established a ceasefire in the region and the possible outbreak of tensions in this regard, Hossein Ruyvaran stated: The tension between Fatah and Hamas began during the first intifada, and Hamas declared its existence at that time, while Fatah was based in Tunisia.

The Fatah organization is a nationalist movement, while Hamas is an Islamic movement. The two groups were not in tension with each other from the beginning until the Oslo Accords came into being in 1993 and the Palestinian Authority was formed. The Palestinian Authority existed in conflict with the resistance movement, which had fundamentally rejected the Oslo Accords. That conflict has since turned into a political confrontation, and this situation continues to this day.

Referring to the situation in Gaza, he said: The Israeli regime withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and elections were held in 2006, in which Hamas won 61 percent of the vote and Fatah 38 percent. Mahmoud Abbas allowed Ismail Haniyeh to become provisional prime minister for a few months. Still, he quickly staged a coup and handed over the premiership to Salam Fayyad, effectively violating the vote of confidence from the parliament. Hamas, in turn, staged a coup against the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and took over the administration of the region. Since then, Fatah has dominated the West Bank, and Hamas controls Gaza, and this situation continues to this day, even after the October 7 war.

This expert on regional issues, in response to the question of what will happen to the administration of Gaza in the future, especially given the pressure from influential and trans-regional powers. He stated: “Agreements were reached several times, and based on those deals, participation and cooperation were established in the process of administering Gaza and the West Bank by the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, but Mahmoud Abbas’ repeated coups proved to everyone that he was not and is not committed to any agreement. Therefore, the possibility of agreement and cooperation on administering Gaza and the West Bank in this way has been eliminated.” He said that Mahmoud Abbas seeks to monopolize power within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization, but this is not acceptable to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other resistance groups.

Therefore, given the spirit of Mahmoud Abbas, it is unlikely that an agreement will be reached between Hamas and Fatah on jointly administering Gaza and the West Bank. When asked about the potential consequences of the international community imposing after the ceasefire and its consolidation for the administration and reconstruction of Gaza?” Ruyvaran responded: Given that the United States and other Western countries have listed Hamas as a terrorist group, it seems that the international community will not interact with Hamas in this regard, especially the Gaza administration and that this agreement will be made with other people, but that person will definitely not be Mahmoud Abbas.

He continued: Hamas accepts that technocratic and independent people in Gaza will assume the sovereignty of this region without creating a conflict or threat to the Resistance Front and its forces, and with this decision, the problem of interaction with the international community will be solved, but that Mahmoud Abbas and his forces will come to Gaza and assume the administration there, this is a red line for Hamas.

This expert on regional issues emphasized Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah organization in general are seeking to eliminate the resistance,

what they did in the West Bank. Therefore, Hamas does not accept that they will rule Gaza, so the discussion of an agreement with a third party is more likely. The Arab countries, America, and Europe know very well that Hamas has complete control over Gaza, that the people are with the resistance, that no one can come to power in Gaza without an agreement with Hamas, and that anyone other than Hamas who comes to power in Gaza must be in coordination with Hamas.