The UN Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution supporting Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
The text, submitted by the US, would order the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) and the establishment of a transitional regime there.
The US says several unnamed countries have offered to contribute to the ISF, although it is unclear whether it would be needed to ensure Hamas disarms or act as a peacekeeping force.
Its formation is a central plank of Trump’s 20-point plan, which last month brought about a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
The draft also raises the possibility of a Palestinian state – which Israel strongly opposes.
There have been intense negotiations over the draft text of the resolution, with Washington warning that any vote against it could return to a fight with Israel.
As well as authorizing the ISF, which it says will work with Gaza’s southern neighbors Israel and Egypt – the draft also calls for the creation of a newly trained Palestinian police in Gaza. Until now, the police there have been working under the authority of Hamas.
According to reports of the latest draft, part of the ISF’s role would be to work on “permanently decommissioning arms from non-state armed groups, including Hamas” – as well as protecting civilians and humanitarian aid routes.
This would require Hamas to hand over its weapons – something it is required to do under Trump’s peace plan.
But in a statement published overnight, Hamas called the draft resolution “dangerous” and “an attempt to subject the Gaza Strip to international authority.”
It said Palestinian factions rejected any clauses related to the disarmament of Gaza or harming “the right of resistance of the Palestinian people”.
The statement also rejected any foreign military presence inside the Gaza Strip, saying it would be a violation of Palestinian sovereignty.
The draft supports the formation of a peace board, expected to be chaired by President Trump, which would oversee a body of Palestinian technocrats that would temporarily administer Gaza and take charge of its redevelopment.
Following pressure from major Arab countries, the latest text mentions a possible future Palestinian state, although without invoking one as a goal.
Nevertheless, the inclusion of such a reference drew a sharp reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his ruling coalition allies criticized the draft, including threats to quit the government if Netanyahu did not back down.
“With regard to Palestinian statehood,” he said Sunday, “our opposition to Palestinian statehood in any area west of the Jordan (River), that opposition exists, is legitimate, and has not changed in the slightest.”
Trump’s peace plan actually suspended fighting between Israel and Hamas, which had been raging since Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in that attack.
More than 69,483 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.