Gaza Strip
\nAs Israel and Hamas prepare to move towards phase two of a United States-led blueprint to end Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, disagreements loom over the as-yet undefined role of an international stabilisation force in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
\nSenior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Sunday that the US draft required \u201ca lot of clarifications\u201d. While the group was ready to discuss \u201cfreezing or storing\u201d weapons during the ongoing truce, he said it would not accept that an international stabilisation force take charge of disarmament.
\n\u201cWe are welcoming a [United Nations] force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting about violations, preventing any kind of escalations,\u201d he said, adding that Hamas would not accept the force having \u201cany kind of mandates\u201d on Palestinian territory.
\nHis comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier in the day that he would meet with Donald Trump to discuss entering a new phase of the US president\u2019s plan at the end of the month.
\nThe focus of the meeting, he said, would be on ending Hamas governance in Gaza and ensuring it fulfilled its \u201ccommitment\u201d to the plan, which calls for demilitarisation of the enclave.
\n\u201cWe have a second phase, no less daunting, and that is to achieve the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarisation of Gaza,\u201d Netanyahu said during a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
\nIt was not clear whether Naim\u2019s comments on the group freezing or storing arms would satisfy Israel\u2019s demands for full disarmament. The Hamas official said the group retained its \u201cright to resist\u201d, adding that laying down arms could happen as part of a process leading to a Palestinian state, with a potential long-term truce lasting five to 10 years.
\nThe US-drafted plan for Gaza leaves the door open to Palestinian independence, but Netanyahu has long rejected this, asserting that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas.<\/p>\n
Vague plan
\nTrump\u2019s 20-point plan offers a general way forward on such plans as the establishment of the stabilisation force and the formation of a technocratic Palestinian government operating under an international \u201cboard of peace\u201d, but does not offer concrete details or timelines.
\nUS officials have said they expect \u201cboots on the ground\u201d early next year, but while countries like Indonesia have agreed to contribute troops, there is no roadmap for setting up the force, and its exact makeup, command structure and responsibilities have not been defined.
\nNetanyahu appeared to recognise the plan\u2019s vagueness. \u201cWhat will be the timeline? What are the forces that are coming in? Will we have international forces? If not, what are the alternatives? These are all topics that are being discussed,\u201d he said on Sunday.
\nThe Israeli prime minister said that phase two of the plan, which will be set in motion once Hamas returns the last Israeli captive, a policeman killed in the October 7 attack on southern Israel, would be \u201cmore difficult\u201d.
\nStage one of the plan has already proven challenging, with Israel continuing to bomb Gaza throughout the ceasefire, killing more than 370 Palestinians, according to health officials. Meanwhile, it has accused Hamas of dragging out captive returns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gaza Strip As Israel and Hamas prepare to move towards phase two of a United States-led blueprint to end Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza, disagreements loom over the as-yet undefined role of an international stabilisation force in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Sunday that the US draft required \u201ca […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-518922","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n