U.S. forges ahead on Gaza deal amid disputes, clashes and executions
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Palestinians return to a devastated Gaza City. Photo: Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty
The Trump administration is working to help establish a multinational security force for Gaza, vet potential Palestinian civilian leaders, and take the first steps toward rebuilding the enclave, two senior advisers to President Trump told reporters.
The big picture: The first week of peace in Gaza has been marked by joyful reunions as well as public executions. An Israeli withdrawal but also deadly clashes. And a peace process that is proceeding as envisioned but is already facing its first potential crisis.
- Two years of war are over, the exchange of live hostages and prisoners is complete, aid is flowing and bulldozers are arriving to begin clearing away the rubble.
- But Gaza's future — who governs, who provides security, what happens to Hamas and to the Israeli occupation force — is still unsettled.
State of play: The two Trump advisers told reporters on Wednesday that they're pressing both sides to move into the next phase of the peace process, which involves tackling those big questions.
- They also want to begin the rebuilding process in parts of Gaza that are outside Hamas control, particularly the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt. The advisers hope Rafah can become an example for a post-Hamas Gaza.
- In the meantime, their priorities are avoiding further clashes along the "yellow line" dividing Israeli and Hamas-controlled Gaza, streamlining aid deliveries, and ensuring Hamas returns the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages.
Zoom in: Israeli officials warned President Trump's envoys on Wednesday that the peace process could stall unless Hamas fulfills its obligations around deceased hostages, two Israeli officials and a U.S. official told Axios.
- An immediate breakdown was averted when Hamas returned several bodies and Israel backed off its threats of retaliation.
- But Hamas now says it doesn't have any additional remains to return, and recovering more will require "efforts and special equipment." Israeli officials acknowledge some of the bodies will be hard to locate, but claim between 15 and 20 could be quickly returned.
Between the lines: The U.S. advisers didn't seem to accept the Israeli argument that a failure by Hamas to immediately return more bodies would constitute a violation of the deal.
- Both Israeli and U.S. officials close to the process are concerned that hardliners within the Netanyahu government will use the issue to undermine the deal and push for the resumption of the war.
Meanwhile on the ground in Gaza, Hamas has sent its security forces into the streets and launched a bloody crackdown.
- Hamas has publicly executed alleged collaborators and has also engaged in firefights with rival militias — sparking concerns the group is reasserting control, rather than preparing to give it up.
- Trump said Sunday that the U.S. "gave them approval for a period of time" to enforce security, and even said approvingly that the group had taken out "a couple of gangs that were very bad."
- However, CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper on Wednesday urged Hamas to "immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians."
Friction point: The deal calls for Hamas to disarm, but the U.S. advisers said Hamas is concerned its fighters will be vulnerable to rival groups if they immediately lay down their arms.
- They said they're working with the Turkish, Qatari and Egyptian mediators to define what demilitarization means and how the process should proceed.
- The U.S. also wants to create a pathway for Palestinians who feel threatened by Hamas to cross into Israeli-controlled Gaza, the advisers said, adding that Israel supports the idea.
There has also been bloodshed along the new line of control behind which Israeli forces have withdrawn.
- Israeli forces reportedly killed two Palestinians on Wednesday and five a day earlier. In both cases, Israel said its troops opened fire on "suspects" approaching their positions.
- Apart from those incidents along the yellow line, the ceasefire has held. Israel still controls around half of Gaza's territory under phase one of the deal.
- The advisers said countries including Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt and Azerbaijan were prepared to contribute troops to a multinational stabilization force.
The intrigue: The U.S. is also helping to vet potential members of the technocratic government that's supposed to take control of Gaza, including members of the Palestinian diaspora who wish to return home, the advisers said.
What to watch: Negotiating phase two is expected to be extremely difficult, especially when it comes to the demilitarization of Gaza and the conditions under which Israeli forces will pull further back.
- Trump claimed to have brought peace to the Middle East for the first time in 3,000 years on Wednesday. But he also warned that if Hamas refuses to disarm voluntarily, it will be done forcibly — possibly even by resuming the war.
