As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza enters a new phase, significant disagreements have emerged over the proposed role of an international stabilisation force in the enclave, with senior Hamas official Basem Naim saying on Sunday that the US draft still required “a lot of clarifications.”
He noted that while Hamas was willing to discuss “freezing or storing” its weapons during the current truce, it would not accept any international force taking charge of disarmament.
Naim said that Hamas would accept a United Nations force stationed near Gaza’s borders to supervise the ceasefire, monitor violations, and prevent escalation, but stressed that such a force could not be granted “any kind of mandates” over Palestinian territory.
His remarks came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would meet US President Donald Trump at the end of the month to discuss moving into the next phase of the plan.
Netanyahu said the focus of the discussions would be ending Hamas governance in Gaza and ensuring the group complied with the plan’s call for the enclave’s demilitarisation.
“We have a second phase, no less daunting, and that is to achieve the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarisation of Gaza,” Netanyahu said at a press conference alongside visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
It remains unclear whether Hamas’s proposal to freeze or store weapons would meet Israel’s demands for complete disarmament.
Naim reiterated that the group “retains its right to resist,” saying disarmament could only occur as part of a broader political process leading to a Palestinian state, potentially accompanied by a long-term truce lasting five to ten years.
The US draft plan leaves open the possibility of Palestinian statehood, a prospect Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected, arguing that establishing such a state would amount to rewarding Hamas.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the proposed international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza should prioritise separating Israeli troops and Hamas rather than focusing on disarming the Palestinian group.
Meanwhile, Israel’s attacks on Gaza continue, as Qatar and Egypt call for the swift deployment of the so-called Gaza stabilisation force, warning that the ceasefire is at a “critical moment.”
As of November 30, more than 50 days after the ceasefire came into effect, the Palestinian Authority reported that the Israeli occupation had committed 591 violations. These violations resulted in 357 Palestinians being killed and 903 others injured.
According to the Palestinian Authority, the violations included 164 incidents of direct gunfire targeting civilians, homes, residential neighbourhoods, and tents sheltering displaced families. They also reported 25 incursions by Israeli military vehicles into residential and agricultural areas, during which the vehicles crossed the temporary Yellow Line.
Additionally, there were 280 incidents of land, air, and artillery bombardment, as well as 118 demolitions of homes and civilian facilities. The Palestinian Authority said these actions amount to systematic crimes aimed at expanding destruction and collectively punishing the population, in grave breach of the Geneva Conventions.
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