The UN Security Council voted in favor of a US-drafted resolution backing Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.
Included in the plan is the establishment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), to which, according to the United States, several unnamed countries have offered to contribute.
The resolution was backed by 13 countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Somalia, and none voted against the proposal. Russia and China abstained.
Hamas has rejected the resolution, saying it does not meet Palestinian rights and demands.
The plan “imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject,” the group said on Telegram.
“Assigning the international force tasks and functions within the Gaza Strip, including disarmament of the resistance, strips it of its neutrality and makes it a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation,” he added.
According to reports on the latest draft, part of the ISF’s role would be to work on the “permanent dismantlement of weapons of non-state armed groups” – including Hamas – as well as the protection of civilians and humanitarian aid routes.
This would require Hamas, banned as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, to hand over its weapons, something it is supposed to do under Trump’s peace plan.
In addition to authorizing an FSI, which it says would work with Israel and Egypt – Gaza’s southern neighbor – the draft also calls for the creation of a newly trained Palestinian police in Gaza.
Until now, the police have acted under the authority of Hamas.
Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, told the Council that the ISF would be “tasked with securing the area, supporting the demilitarization of Gaza, dismantling terrorist infrastructure, removing weapons and ensuring the safety of Palestinian civilians.”
The initial phase of the plan (a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the handover of hostages and detainees) went into effect on October 10. Waltz described it as a “fragile, brittle first step.”
The FSI is a central pillar of Trump’s plan, which also includes the establishment of the so-called Peace Board, which the US president himself is expected to lead.
According to the resolution, financing for the reconstruction of Gaza after two years of war would come from a trust fund backed by the World Bank.
The draft also raises the possibility of a Palestinian state, something Israel strongly opposes. A path to future statehood was included following pressure from key Arab states.
In fact, Trump’s peace plan suspended fighting between Israel and Hamas that had raged since Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in that attack.
Since then, more than 69,483 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
