---
title: "Hamas in Gaza and the PA in Judea and Samaria"
description: "Hamas has exercised de facto authority in Gaza since 2007. The Fatah-led PA administers parts of Judea and Samaria; the rival systems have separate officials, security structures and civil-service arrangements."
url: "https://hasbara.co.il/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/divided-palestinian-governance-gaza-versus-the-west-bank"
type: "resource-page"
locale: "en"
categories: ["Hamas vs Fatah: Arab Settler Power Struggle"]
---

# Hamas in Gaza and the PA in Judea and Samaria

*Hamas has exercised de facto authority in Gaza since 2007. The Fatah-led PA administers parts of Judea and Samaria; the rival systems have separate officials, security structures and civil-service arrangements.*

Hamas has exercised de facto authority in Gaza since taking control of its security installations in June 2007. The Fatah-led PA (PA) operates in parts of Judea and Samaria. They are separate administrations with competing claims and distinct security structures; there is no unified government exercising the same authority across both territories.

## Different roots and institutions

The PA was established under the 1993 Oslo Declaration of Principles as an interim self-government authority. Its institutions include a presidency, cabinet, ministries and a Legislative Council. Hamas won a majority of Legislative Council seats in 2006, but after the 2007 fighting it kept control of Gaza’s government institutions while the PA continued to function in parts of Judea and Samaria. The takeover account is covered in [the 2006–07 chronology](https://hasbara.co.il/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/the-2006-palestinian-election-and-the-civil-war).

The divide affects staffing and public services. In June 2017, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 22,000 Gaza civil servants recruited by Hamas authorities and 62,000 staff on the PA payroll. It described irregular pay, duplicated functions, underfunded ministries and unclear reporting lines. These are figures and conditions reported for that date, not a current staffing count. [OCHA’s dated report](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-impact-internal-palestinian-divide-gaza-strip-june-2017) traces the effects on Gaza institutions.

## Why agreements did not erase the divide

Several reconciliation agreements proposed a consensus cabinet, elections or a transfer of administrative responsibilities. Signing an agreement did not combine the rival security forces or bring the two administrations under one effective chain of command. Hamas retained its armed organization and governing authority in Gaza; PA ministries and security bodies continued to operate in areas under PA administration.

The distinction matters when describing who makes decisions, provides services or commands security personnel. The PA is not a sovereign government with uniform territorial control, and Hamas is not simply another PA ministry. Their relationship to the PLO is also different: Fatah remains its dominant faction, while Hamas has not joined as a full member. See [the contest for PLO representation](https://hasbara.co.il/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/the-battle-for-the-plo-fatah-vs-hamas) and [the reconciliation agreements](https://hasbara.co.il/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/the-battle-for-the-plo-fatah-vs-hamas).

## Pages

- [Hamas and Fatah: The Political Split](/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/overview.md)
- [Hamas and Fatah: Ideology and Political Goals](/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/hamas-vs-fatah-the-palestinian-ideological-chasm.md)
- [The 2006 Election and 2007 Gaza Takeover](/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/the-2006-palestinian-election-and-the-civil-war.md)
- [Security Coordination and Armed Factions](/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/pa-israel-security-coordination-vs-hamas-s-armed-resistance.md)
- [The Contest for the PLO and Failed Reconciliation](/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/the-battle-for-the-plo-fatah-vs-hamas.md)
- [Funding Hamas and the PA](/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/financing-the-divide-hamas-and-palestinian-authority-funding.md)
- [PA Succession Rules and Hamas’s Position](/resources/hamas-vs-fatah-palestinian-power-struggle/palestinian-succession-crisis-fatah-s-vulnerability-and-hamas-s-strategy.md)

## Sources

- [ochaopt.org](https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-impact-internal-palestinian-divide-gaza-strip-june-2017)
- [digitallibrary.un.org](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/623248/files/A_HRC_7_76-EN.pdf)
- [elections.ps](https://www.elections.ps/Portals/0/pdf/The_Amended_Basic_Law_2003_EN.pdf)