Hamas appears to be turning its back on the US-brokered peace plan for Gaza, saying it will only accept an international force in the Strip as long as it doesn’t interfere with the terror group’s “internal affairs.”
“Our position on international forces is clear: we want peacekeeping forces that monitor the ceasefire, ensure its implementation, and act as a buffer between the occupation army and our people in the Gaza Strip, without interfering in Gaza’s internal affairs,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP.
An International Stabilization Force is one of the key features of President Trump’s 20-point plan for the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza — geared toward removing Hamas from the governance of the region.
Both Israel and Hamas signed off on the cease-fire agreement, effectively ending the war in Gaza, in October 2025.
That plan called for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages and the gradual withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces from areas it had seized inside Gaza.
The remains of the final captive, Sgt. Ran Gvili, were turned over to Israeli authorities in late January.
The deal also calls for Hamas to disarm, Gaza to be completely demilitarized, and the Strip ruled by a technocratic committee that ultimately reports to the Board of Peace, an international group chaired by President Trump.
Five countries are sending troops to Gaza as part of the ISF, including Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to training a Palestinian police force inside the strip, ISF Cmdr. Jasper Jeffers said.
The 20,000-troop force will initially be deployed to Rafah in Southern Gaza, and help train an expected 1,200 police officers. They will then deploy to the rest of the Strip “sector by sector,” Jeffers said.
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But Hamas and Israel have continued to trade attacks along the Strip despite the tenuous cease-fire, with the terror group committing daily violations of the truce, the IDF has claimed.
“We see them test our troops. We see them carrying out attacks every week … [Hamas] injured and killed soldiers since the ceasefire began,” IDF Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told The Post.
Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
With Post Wires.
