Officials in U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace accused Israel on Wednesday of obstructing implementation of the 20-point Gaza plan it helped shape and later adopted, saying Jerusalem appears to be looking for reasons not to move forward as efforts to disarm Hamas remain stalled.
“If only we had two weeks of quiet, we would want to show the beginnings of disarmament in order to create hope,” officials said on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington. “But today there isn’t even one day of quiet. Hamas is violating the agreements, but Israel is violating them too.”
The officials said they do not expect major progress before Israel’s election, but would like to see at least initial signs of Hamas disarmament before then.
Behind the scenes, preparations are continuing for the next stage of the plan, including efforts to assemble the International Stabilization Force, or ISF, that would operate in Gaza.
Agreements currently taking shape include plans for 1,200 troops from Uganda, up to 500 from Burundi, up to 500 from Morocco, 25 from Kosovo and another 150 from Kazakhstan and Albania.
Indonesia, which had previously considered sending as many as 8,000 troops before withdrawing during the war with Iran, is now exploring a return to the initiative. Indonesian representatives are expected to visit the coordination headquarters in Kiryat Gat in the coming weeks to examine a possible deployment.
The international force is expected to begin with around 2,500 troops. Its initial mission would be to secure the entry of the Palestinian technocratic committee, known as NCAG, into southern Gaza.
At the same time, the committee is recruiting a new Palestinian police force for the Strip. Out of some 220,000 applicants, Israel has approved 16,000 candidates who it determined were not affiliated with Hamas. The goal is to establish a force of between 10,000 and 12,000 officers, who would undergo training in Egypt before entering Gaza.
One Board of Peace official accused Israel of creating obstacles both to sending the Palestinian recruits to Egypt for training and to bringing foreign troops into Gaza as part of the stabilization force.
Pressure on Hamas to disarm
Officials from the Palestinian technocratic committee said Hamas is facing growing public opposition inside Gaza and claimed that around 90% of residents now oppose the terrorist organization.
They said Hamas remains unwilling to surrender its weapons, but argued that continued pressure could eventually force a change in its position.
Both the Board of Peace and the Palestinian committee are concerned that Hamas could hide some of its weapons rather than fully disarm. Officials said strict safeguards would therefore be needed to prevent Hamas or other armed groups from infiltrating the new Palestinian administration.
Armed Hamas terrorists
(Photo: AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
International experts have been working for about a year on plans for the disarmament process.
Under the Board of Peace proposal, Hamas members seeking immunity would be required to surrender their weapons publicly and document the handover. Each armed member would be expected to publish a video showing the weapon being surrendered and publicly renouncing terrorism.
Officials said no immunity would be granted without such a public declaration.
Building a postwar administration
Members of the Palestinian committee said conditions in Gaza have improved significantly compared with a year ago, while acknowledging that the humanitarian and civilian situation remains severe.
“A year ago there was mass killing, there were hostages and there was little humanitarian aid,” officials said. “Today there are no hostages. The killing has fallen from 100 a day to one or two a day. There is much more humanitarian aid.”
They said water supplies remain far below required levels, with residents receiving around four liters per person per day compared with what they described as a standard of 14 liters, though they expect significant improvement over the next year.
U.S. President Donald Trump at a Board of Peace meeting
(Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP)
The committee is also working to rebuild Gaza’s education system after nearly three years in which children have not attended school regularly, including plans to revise textbooks.
UNRWA is expected to remain a significant presence, operating more than 120 schools and around 60 clinics, with the new Palestinian committee expected to cooperate with the agency.
Board of Peace officials also criticized the wider international response to Gaza, arguing that many countries condemn Israel while being unwilling to accept students or refugees from the Strip.
Israeli officials remain skeptical that Hamas will ultimately agree to disarm, but believe the U.S. plan should still be pursued. At the same time, the IDF has warned that Hamas is rebuilding its capabilities and removing weapons from storage.