Palestine Doesn't Expect International Troops To Control Gaza

The condition of Gazans / DOK UN News

JAKARTA - Mohammad Shtayyeh, special envoy to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinians did not expect international stabilization forces to control the Gaza Strip.

The issue of the existence of international stabilization forces in Gaza, which is included in US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza peace, is still under discussion, Shtayyeh told reporters in Geneva.

However, he acknowledged that Palestine needed international support to manage the situation.

Reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Wednesday, October 15, the Palestinian government also does not expect any role from the Palestinian Hamas movement in the future of Gaza, and Hamas accepts it, Shtayyeh said.

"The presence of Hamas police on the streets of Gaza is expected only during the transition period, because there are 19 thousand Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip, with another 10,000 undergoing training in Egypt," he added.

Shtayyeh said Palestine also called for an international conference to discuss developing plans to end Israel's occupation.

Although the Sharm El Sheikh conference is an important step in the right direction, the conference does not provide a complete answer to the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Israel, he said, must be responsible for the destruction of Gaza.

Although Palestinians were pleased with the ceasefire and hoped the ceasefire would be long-term, authorities understood the situation was still unstable, the official said, adding the amount of humanitarian aid needed had not yet been sent to Gaza.

Rafah's checkpoint just opened Wednesday morning, and Palestine hopes that the transition from phase 1 to phase 2 of Gaza's peace plan will mean all checkpoints will be opened for food delivery, Shtayyeh said.

Earlier on Tuesday (14/10), the United Nations Development Program said according to World Bank estimates, Gaza reconstruction would cost around $70 billion.

On Monday (13/10), Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, Emir Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a comprehensive document on the Gaza ceasefire.

Still on the same day, Hamas released 20 surviving hostages detained in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, as part of an agreement with Israel.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office confirmed Israel had released 1,718 Palestinian prisoners detained in Gaza and 250 other inmates serving a long-term prison sentence.

The Gaza peace plan, which consists of 20 points from Trump, was announced on September 29. The plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, on the condition that the hostages are released within 72 hours.

The document also proposes that Hamas or other Palestinian armed factions have no role in the Gaza Strip government and control over the enclave should be transferred to a technocratic committee overseen by Trump's international body.