Hamas insists international forces coming to Gaza must be neutral and only on the border

Hamas group. (Hassan Alzaanin/TASS)

JAKARTA - Senior official of the Hamas militant group Osama Hamdan stressed that international forces from any country that come to the Gaza Strip, Palestine must be neutral and limit their role only at the border.

In addition, the troops are also intended to prevent Israeli aggression, stop violations of the ceasefire, without interfering in the management of internal affairs in the Palestinian enclave.

That was conveyed by Osama Hamdan in response to a question in the "Evening" program of Al Jazeera Live regarding the plan to send Indonesian troops as part of the International Stabilization Forces (ISF).

Hamdan explained that Hamas had contacted the Indonesian Government directly and emphasized that "any international force must adhere to a neutral role on the border and not take a position contrary to the will of the Palestinian people or as a substitute for the Israeli occupation," as reported by Al Jazeera (12/2).

"I heard this message clearly from the Indonesian parties, because they confirmed that they would not be the party that implements any Israeli agenda in the sector, and that their mission must be limited to separating the Palestinians from the occupation forces, and preventing aggression without interfering in the affairs of the residents," he explained.

Hamdan emphasized that Palestinian factions - including Hamas - are committed to supporting the administrative committee to manage Gaza affairs.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan. (Wikimedia Commons/SNN)

"Any attempt to use international forces to weaken the will of the Palestinian people or face resistance will be completely rejected," Hamdan said.

Responding to questions about the New York Times report on plans to disarm the resistance, Hamdan stressed "the Palestinian weapons issue is linked to the existence and ending of the occupation, and the Palestinian resistance since 1917 has been committed to the principle of regaining land and achieving national freedom."

"This weapon is legal according to international law and the will of the Palestinian people, and will not be discarded until it achieves its goal of establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," he explained.

Responding to the statements of several Hamas leaders regarding the idea of freezing weapons for a certain period of time, Hamdan stressed, "any talk about freezing weapons or a ceasefire that lasts for years is only a political debate, and Hamas has not adopted this issue as an official policy, because the weapons of resistance are a national and legitimate right that cannot be compromised."

Hamdan added that the Palestinian resistance group had signed the first four points of US President Donald Trump's Sharm el-Sheikh document, which include: cessation of war, prisoner exchange, aid delivery, and Israeli forces withdrawing to the Green Line with a promise of a full withdrawal to the Gaza Strip border later.

However, he stressed that the Israeli occupation hindered the implementation of this phase, prevented the entry of medical aid, hindered the rehabilitation of hospitals and municipal institutions and prevented the entry of an administrative committee despite an international consensus on its formation.

It is known that the deployment of ISF coincides with the start of the second phase of peace in Gaza which was announced last month. The delivery of ISF is also mentioned in Point 7 of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, in which ISF is tasked with stabilizing security, securing humanitarian corridors until permanent disarmament of non-state armed groups.

On Tuesday, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' II Spokesperson, Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela, said that Indonesian troops who will be part of the ISF focus on humanitarian, not disarmament, with the preparation process continuing.

"Regarding the timeline, there is nothing definitive, the number is also not definitive, but the process is indeed being carried out and this indeed requires coordination, not only within the country, but also with parties abroad," he explained to the media on Tuesday (10/2).

"Regarding the mandate and term of involvement, it is a matter that needs discussion and this is still ongoing," he continued.

"As for Indonesia's involvement, it has been explained that it is more focused on humanitarian and not involved in disarmament," he said.

When confirmed separately, Nabyl said Indonesia's approach to the humanitarian aspect.

"Indonesia's approach will focus on the protection of civilians, humanitarian support and the reconstruction of Gaza, as well as a clearly defined and non-offensive role," he explained in a short message to VOI.id.

Previously, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported on Tuesday that: "Preparations have begun on the ground to host Indonesian soldiers in Gaza, who will be integrated into the international stabilization force."

KAN said there was no definite date for the arrival of the troops, but the first foreign troops expected to reach Gaza were from Indonesia, as reported by Anadolu.

KAN said the area south of the Gaza Strip, between the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, had been prepared to receive Indonesian troops.

Citing unnamed sources, the broadcaster said the designated area "is ready," but preparations for buildings and housing there "will take several weeks."

"The number of Indonesian soldiers is estimated to be several thousand, and discussions have been taking place with Jakarta regarding the initial plan to deploy Indonesian troops and how they will be transported to Gaza," the broadcaster said.

Nabyl emphasized that Indonesia's desire to participate in the peace efforts in Gaza remained with careful consideration.

"The focus of the current discussion is to ensure a clear mandate, protection of civilians, and consistency with the long-standing Indonesian peacekeeping principles," he explained.

"At this stage, no final decisions have been made, and we have not been able to confirm details regarding the number, composition, duration, or specific areas of operation," he said.