Hamas rejected a resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on November 17 that endorsed key aspects of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza conflict. The resolution included a call for the establishment of both a Board of Peace (BOP), which would temporarily oversee governance of the territory, and an International Stabilization Force (ISF), which would assist in maintaining the ceasefire and preventing Hamas’s rearmament.
In a vote of 13 in favor, none against, and two abstentions (Russia and China), the UNSC passed Resolution 2803 and explicitly “welcomed [the] establishment of the Board of Peace and authorized the Board and Member States working with it to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza.” While the terms of phase two of the Gaza ceasefire plan have not been negotiated between Hamas and Israel, the UNSC resolution offered some clarity on what it may involve.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that the International Stabilization Force would involve “a strong coalition of peacekeepers, many from Muslim majority nations like Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and others” that would “oversee demilitarization” and take responsibility for security in Gaza, including the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Hamas officials rejected Resolution 2803 shortly after its passage, claiming that “assigning the international force with tasks and roles inside the Gaza Strip, including disarming the resistance, strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation.” Hamas’s rejection of key clauses of the 20-point plan comes after Israeli reports that Hamas and affiliated groups have violated the terms of the first phase nearly 25 times since the ceasefire’s implementation on October 10.
While Hamas initially agreed to phase one of the 20-point plan—which stipulated an immediate ceasefire, the return of all Israeli hostages, both living and deceased, and the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for those hostages—the Iran-backed terror group has not agreed to further aspects of Trump’s plan.
If Hamas agrees to further phases, the terror group would be required to disarm. The Board of Peace approved by Resolution 2803 would be tasked with supervising a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” that would run day-to-day operations in Gaza. The BOP would also create and oversee an International Stabilization Force that would “ensure the process of demilitarizing” Gaza, support “vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza,” and prevent Hamas’s rearmament.
The disarmament of Hamas remains a sticking point in the success of further phases of the 20-point plan. Countries that might provide troops for the ISF are cautious and concerned that their soldiers will clash with Hamas, which has yet to be stripped of its weapons.
For example, Jordan’s King Abdullah II demanded a clarification of the prospective ISF’s mandate in October. “Peacekeeping is that you’re sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time. If we’re running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that’s not a situation that any country would like to get involved in,” Abdullah told the BBC.
In addition, Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, said in November that “the UAE does not yet see a clear framework for the stability forces, and under such circumstances will probably not participate.” Separately, an Azerbaijani government source told Reuters that Azerbaijan will only send troops for the ISF “if military action is completely stopped,” citing concerns about the safety of its personnel.
In contrast, Turkey is readying a brigade of 2,000 soldiers to join the ISF. However, Israel firmly opposes Ankara’s participation in any future ISF.
The US is reportedly considering skipping the demilitarization clause of the agreement in favor of the reconstruction of Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza if the formation of the ISF continues to present a challenge. However, Israeli leaders consider this change a non-starter, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “there will be no such thing [as] so-called non-demilitarization.”
“In the 20-point plan, and in any other case, this area will be demilitarized, and Hamas will be disarmed—either the easy way or the hard way,” Netanyahu added.
