GAZA: Ahead of Thursday’s Gaza Peace Board meeting, the Palestinian resistance organisation Hamas has outlined conditions for any international peacekeeping force proposed for the enclave.
Hamas spokesperson Bassem Naeem said a peace force could be acceptable only if it remains stationed along borders and does not interfere in the civil, political, or security affairs of Palestine. He added that the group has no objection to an international presence provided it functions as a protective buffer between the parties.
Naeem warned that intervention in internal Palestinian matters would be viewed as unacceptable, saying Palestinians would consider any such force a substitute for the occupying authorities.
According to Hamas, the primary role of any international contingent should be to separate the parties and help maintain a ceasefire.
The upcoming Peace Board meeting is expected to discuss the formation of an interim government in Palestine, a permanent ceasefire, and proposals related to the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.
Gaza Peace Board Meeting
US President Donald Trump will announce a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction plan for Gaza and the deployment of an international stabilization force with the approval of the United Nations at the first formal meeting of the Peace Board next week.
According to Reuters, the meeting will be held on February 19 in Washington, DC, in which delegations from at least 20 countries will participate. The Peace Board was established in January and has also received the approval of a UN Security Council resolution.
According to US officials, the meeting will announce the establishment of a multi-billion-dollar fund for the reconstruction of Gaza, to which participating countries will provide financial support. Officials say that various countries have voluntarily offered financial assistance.
Under the plan, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) will also be deployed in Gaza, for which several countries are ready to provide thousands of soldiers. The purpose of this force is to ensure security and stability after the war.
