Hamas official: International Force path stalled with no consensus on identity, role, or tasks

Bassem Naeem, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said the ceasefire agreement clearly provides for the deployment of an international stabilisation force, a move supported by the UN Security Council. However, he said this track remains stalled, with no serious signs of an imminent agreement on forming the force or defining its identity, role and tasks.

Naeem explained that regional and international efforts, overseen by the United States, have so far failed to secure practical engagement in establishing such a force. He attributed this to the lack of clarity over its mandate, scope of work, rules of engagement and the absence of a clear document regulating the nature of its intervention.

In remarks to Felastin newspaper on Wednesday, Naeem stressed that Hamas’s position is firm. He said any international force should be limited to monitoring the ceasefire, separating the parties, preventing escalation and submitting reports, without any involvement in Palestinian internal affairs or the administration of the Gaza Strip.

In the same context, Naeem accused Israel of trying to obstruct the move to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. He said this phase requires Israel to fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip, open the crossings, and begin a process of recovery and reconstruction.

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