Mike Baker

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin.

President Trump says he's backing a new transitional Palestinian governing body intended to take over administration of Gaza as the current ceasefire enters its next phase.

The panel is described as a technocratic committee and is meant to handle day-to-day governance, everything from basic services to reconstruction, while Gaza moves away from rule by Hamas.

The idea, on paper, is to create a civilian alternative that can stabilize and rebuild the territory, which of course has been devastated by the war that it started with Israel.

Trump also announced the creation of an international supervisory board, what's being called a board of peace, which would oversee the transition and provide outside accountability.

In theory, this phase is about governance and reconstruction and long-term stability.

In practice, it rests on one enormous requirement, that Hamas is willing to give up power and disarm.

And that's where a large dose of skepticism is warranted.

Hamas has ruled Gaza through violence and intimidation and armed control for nearly two decades.

Its weapons aren't incidental to its authority.

They are its authority.

Asking Hamas to voluntarily disarm isn't just a logistical challenge.

It's a request that cuts directly against the group's core identity and survival.

There's little historical evidence to suggest Hamas has any intention of becoming a purely political actor, let alone surrendering its weapons.