(AFP) – Top US diplomat Marco Rubio voiced hope Friday of soon putting together an international force to police the ceasefire in Gaza, as Palestinian factions agreed that a committee of independent technocrats would run the post-war territory. The secretary of state visited Israel on the heels of Vice President JD Vance as part of an all-out effort by the United States to persuade both Hamas and Israel to respect the truce.
Rubio said it was critical for the deal to create “the conditions for the stabilisation force to come in as soon as it possibly can be put together.” He expressed optimism for a durable end to the two-year Gaza war as he met Israeli, US, and other Western forces monitoring the ceasefire from inside a vast converted warehouse in southern Israel. The deal, spearheaded by President Donald Trump, calls for an international force to oversee security after Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas, whose unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, sparked a war that has left Gaza in ruins.
The main Palestinian factions, including Hamas, said Friday they had agreed during a meeting in Cairo that a temporary Palestinian committee of independent technocrats would take over the running of Gaza. The committee would “manage the affairs of life and basic services in cooperation with Arab brothers and international institutions,” according to a joint statement published on Hamas’s website. The statement also urged a meeting of all forces and factions to “agree on a national strategy and to revitalise the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.” Hamas is not part of the PLO, which is dominated by its longtime rival Fatah.
Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007, has already made it clear that it does not wish to govern the post-war territory, but it has pushed back against the insistence that it disarm its fighters. “We have agreed on the arrangements for the second phase of managing Gaza, affirming that it will be under Palestinian administration, with no separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement on social media. “The upcoming meetings will address the relationship with the occupation, the fate of the resistance’s weapons and discussions regarding the presence of international forces,” he added.
In Gaza on Friday, families were still trying to return to their ruined homes— in many cases only to find they lie in areas controlled by Israeli forces beyond the so-called “Yellow Line.” “Some young men from our family risked their lives; they went to inspect the destruction in our area, and told us that my house was destroyed,” 42-year-old Hani Abu Omar told AFP. “All my life I’ve been working, earning, and doing everything I can to build a house.” Israel’s Gaza offensive has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, and left hundreds of thousands homeless and hungry.
Fighting has died down since the October 10 ceasefire, but aid flows are still restricted. The arrival of an international security force may unlock reconstruction funds— US officials vow none will go to Hamas-held areas— but the troop-contributing countries have yet to be confirmed. Rubio confirmed that Israel would enjoy vetoes on the force’s composition, amid reports Israel has objected to Turkey’s participation. “There’s a lot of countries that have offered to do it. Obviously, as you put together this force, it will have to be people that Israel is comfortable with,” he said.
Turkey, a NATO member and one of the region’s strongest militaries, was the first Muslim-majority country to recognise Israel. But, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it has welcomed Hamas leaders and been a vociferous critic of Israel. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority state, has said it is ready to send troops to Gaza. The United Arab Emirates, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020, has already been involved in ceasefire monitoring.
Rubio said the United States may seek a UN mandate for the force, as some countries need the world body’s approval to deploy troops. But he again rejected any future role for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which Israel has banned from its territory.
Some 200 US soldiers have deployed to the Civil-Military Coordination Centre, where uniformed troops from a dozen countries were seen mingling in the hastily assembled rented space. Overhead screens showed the staff’s latest findings, including what it said was a new abundance of fruit, vegetables, cheese, and coffee getting into Gaza. Another projection showed words from Trump: “A new and beautiful day is rising. And now, the rebuilding begins.”
The Trump administration has been increasingly firm with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Israeli premier has sought to downplay any perception of tension with his most crucial military and diplomatic backer. Israel is still waiting for Hamas to return 13 more hostage bodies promised under the ceasefire. Hamas said Friday it had received “clear guarantees” from mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey that “the war has effectively ended.”
– Shaun Tandon with AFP team in Gaza
© 2024 AFP
