Gaza peace plan in the context of "Battle of Gaza (2007)"

Hamas began governing the Gaza Strip in June 2007 when it took over the territory from the rival Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority (PA). The Hamas administration was first led by Ismail Haniyeh from June 2007 until February 2017; then by Yahya Sinwar until his killing in October 2024; then by Mohammed Sinwar until his assassination in May 2025; and since then by Izz al-Din al-Haddad. During the Gaza war (2023–present), the group lost control over most of the Gaza Strip to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and as a result of the Gaza peace plan, agreed in October 2025, the IDF currently controls approximately 53% of the territory. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted on 17 November 2025, contains provisions to effectively place the Gaza Strip under international administration.

After Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections on 25 January 2006, Ismail Haniyeh was nominated as the prime minister of the PA, establishing a national unity government with Fatah. This government effectively collapsed with the outbreak of the violent conflict between Hamas and Fatah. After the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas on 14 June 2007, PA president Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas-led government and appointed Salam Fayyad as prime minister. Though the new Palestinian government's authority was claimed to extend to both the Palestinian territories, in effect it became limited to the West Bank, as Hamas did not recognize the dismissal and continued to rule the Gaza Strip as an effectively separate administration from the PA. There have been reconciliation attempts between Fatah and Hamas since the 2007 split; a brief Palestinian unity government in 2014 failed to organize elections and reunify the Palestinian territories. A third government was formed by Hamas in October 2016.

In the wake of the October 7 attacks that sparked the Gaza war, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 251 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and elderly people. Almost half of the hostages were foreign nationals or had multiple citizenships, and some hostages were Negev Bedouins. The hostages were held in different locations in the Gaza Strip.

168 hostages were returned alive to Israel, with 105 released in the 2023 Gaza war ceasefire, five released by Hamas outside the framework of any ceasefire agreement, eight rescued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), 30 released during the January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire, and 20 released under the Gaza peace plan. The bodies of 84 hostages were repatriated to Israel, with three of the hostages killed by friendly fire after escaping captivity and being mistaken for enemy fighters by IDF troops, the bodies of 47 other hostages repatriated through military operations, eight returned in the January 2025 ceasefire deal, and 27 returned under the Gaza peace plan. According to Israel, 84 hostages were killed on 7 October 2023 or in Hamas captivity. The body of one hostage is still being held in the Gaza Strip, as of 3 December 2025.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 was passed on 17 November 2025 to give effect to the Gaza peace plan agreed by Israel and Hamas in October 2025. The resolution endorses the Gaza peace plan, welcomes the formation of a Board of Peace to support the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, authorizes the deployment of the International Stabilization Force and allows for the establishment of a Palestinian Committee to manage day-to-day governance in the Gaza Strip. The resolution was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and denounced by Hamas.

Resolution 2803 adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 17 November 2025 contains provisions for the transitional governance of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the Gaza war. The resolution, incorporating the Gaza peace plan, authorises an international body, known as the Board of Peace, to act as a transitional administration for Gaza and allows for the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) into the territory. Both bodies are mandated until 31 December 2027, but this can be extended by the Security Council.

The administration is modelled on earlier United Nations mandated transitional authorities such as those in West New Guinea (UNTEA), Cambodia (UNTAC), Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES), Kosovo (UNMIK) and East Timor (UNTAET).