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Hamas Tightens Grip on Gaza as Russia Blocks US Proposal at UN for Peacekeeping Force
Smoke rises in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 30, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
As Hamas intensified its crackdown on the Gazan population, Russia rejected a US proposal for an international force in the enclave to implement Washington’s peace plan, deepening uncertainty for the region’s future.
On Thursday, Russia rejected a draft resolution sent by the United States last week to the United Nations Security Council which calls for the establishment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza to remain for at least two years.
Washington publicly called on members of the UN Security Council to back its resolution to create an international peacekeeping force aimed at stabilizing post-war Gaza, which has been devastated by two years of fighting between Hamas and Israel.
“We urge the Security Council to seize this historic moment to pave a path towards enduring peace in the Middle East by supporting this resolution,” US officials said in a statement.
Under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, the ISF will oversee the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and train local security forces.
However, the US proposal is facing opposition from Russia and China — both veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council — who have rejected the resolution, citing concerns over the proposed board to temporarily govern the war-torn enclave and the absence of any transitional role for the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Based on the proposed draft resolution, participating countries in the international force would be granted a broad mandate to maintain security and administer Gaza through the end of 2027, with the possibility of extending the mission.
In recent weeks, Washington has been working closely with regional powers to determine the composition of the peacekeeping force.
According to the draft resolution, the ISF would include troops from multiple participating countries and would be responsible for securing Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, while also protecting civilians and maintaining humanitarian corridors.
In addition, the ISF would seemingly be expected to take on the responsibility of disarming Hamas — a key component of Trump’s peace plan to end the war in Gaza, which the Palestinian terror group has repeatedly rejected.
As negotiations over the draft continue, Russia and China are pushing for the full removal of the proposed “Board of Peace,” a body chaired by Trump and charged with overseeing Gaza’s redevelopment, and stronger guarantees for the future establishment of a Palestinian state.
Russia has put forward its own draft UN resolution, directly challenging the US initiative, according to Reuters.
“The objective of our draft is to enable the Security Council to develop a balanced, acceptable, and unified approach toward achieving a sustainable cessation of hostilities,” Russia’s UN mission said in a statement.
According to media reports, the main points of dispute involved the roadmap to an independent Palestinian state and the timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
After incorporating some proposed changes, the revised US draft includes provisions stating that once the PA’s internal reforms are “faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” the resolution also adds.
As the US sought support for its resolution, Washington warned that any “attempts to sow discord” would have “grave, tangible, and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza.”
Countries have not yet publicly committed troops to the ISF, with most waiting for clarity on the expectations and responsibilities associated with such involvement.
On Friday, Indonesia confirmed it has trained up to 20,000 troops to carry out health and construction-related tasks during post-war efforts in Gaza.
“We’ve prepared a maximum of 20,000 troops, but the specifications will revolve around health and construction,” Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said during a press conference. “We are waiting for further decisions on Gaza peace action.”
Meanwhile, the European Union is reportedly considering a plan to train a 3,000-member Palestinian police force to help maintain security in the war-torn enclave, with discussions scheduled for next week at the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
If approved, the EU would take the lead in training and supporting a local Palestinian security force, with financial backing from the PA.
Last week, the United Arab Emirates said it will not take part in the proposed international stability force in Gaza, explaining that it does not yet see a clear framework. Officials noted Abu Dhabi would continue to support political efforts toward peace and remain a provider of humanitarian aid.
One major point of contention has been the role of Turkey, a key longtime backer of Hamas. While Turkey has made preparations to deploy a peacekeeping force to Gaza, Israel has adamantly opposed the idea, viewing the presence of Turkish troops near its border as a security threat,
As the international community works to determine the next steps for the ceasefire and Gaza’s post-war future, Hamas is seeking to expand its control and influence across the enclave.
Since the ceasefire went into effect, Hamas terrorists have brutally cracked down on all rivals and dissenters, with videos emerging of rampant torture and public executions in the streets.
Now, the Palestinian terrorist group is tightening its control in Gaza by monitoring all goods entering Hamas-held areas and imposing fees on certain privately imported items, according to Reuters.
Hamas violently seized total control of Gaza in 2007 after being elected to power in parliamentary elections the prior year. Under the current ceasefire, the terrorist group controls 47 percent of Gaza’s territory, compared to 53 percent controlled by the Israeli military. However, the vast majority of the population is located in the half suffering under Hamas’s crackdown.
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Israel Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Several Areas in Lebanon
Illustrative: Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military’s evacuation orders, in Tayr Debba, southern Lebanon, Nov. 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ali Hankir
The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in several areas in Lebanon on Thursday, adding that the strikes were in response to Hezbollah‘s “repeated violations of the ceasefire.”
An Israeli military spokesperson had earlier issued a warning to residents of certain buildings in the Lebanese village of Sohmor.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024, ending more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that had culminated in Israeli strikes that severely weakened the Iran-backed terrorist group. Since then, the sides have traded accusations over violations.
Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the US and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, and its leaders fear that Israel could dramatically escalate strikes across the battered country to push Lebanon‘s leaders to confiscate Hezbollah‘s arsenal more quickly.
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Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey Defense Deal in Pipeline, Pakistani Minister Says
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 17, 2025. Photo: Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have prepared a draft defense agreement after nearly a year of talks, Pakistan‘s Minister for Defense Production said, a signal they could be seeking a bulwark against a flare-up of regional violence in the last two years.
Raza Hayat Harraj told Reuters on Wednesday the potential deal between the three regional powers was separate from a bilateral Saudi–Pakistani accord announced last year. A final consensus between the three states is needed to complete the deal, he said.
“The Pakistan–Saudi Arabia-Turkey trilateral agreement is something that is already in pipeline,” Harraj said in an interview.
“The draft agreement is already available with us. The draft agreement is already with Saudi Arabia. The draft agreement is already available with Turkey. And all three countries are deliberating. And this agreement has been there for the last 10 months.”
Asked at a press conference in Istanbul on Thursday about media reports on negotiations between the three sides, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said talks had been held but that no agreement had been signed.
Fidan pointed to a need for broader regional cooperation and trust to overcome distrust that creates “cracks and problems” that led to the emergence of external hegemonies, or wars and instability stemming from terrorism, in the region.
“At the end of all of these, we have a proposal like this: all regional nations must come together to create a cooperation platform on the issue of security,” Fidan said. Regional issues could be resolved if relevant countries would “be sure of each other,” he added.
“At the moment, there are meetings, talks, but we have not signed any agreement. Our President [Tayyip Erdogan]’s vision is for an inclusive platform that creates wider, bigger cooperation and stability,” Fidan said, without naming Pakistan or Saudi Arabia directly.
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The Trump-Backed Palestinian Who Wants to Push Gaza’s Rubble Into the Sea
A drone view shows Palestinians walking past the rubble, following Israeli forces’ withdrawal from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, Oct. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Ali Shaath, the Palestinian former government official chosen to administer Gaza under a US-backed deal, has an ambitious plan that includes pushing war debris into the Mediterranean Sea and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure within three years.
The appointment of the civil engineer and former deputy planning minister on Thursday marked the start of the next phase of US President Donald Trump‘s plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza.
Shaath will chair a group of 15 Palestinian technocrats tasked with governing the Palestinian enclave after years of rule by Hamas terrorists.
Under Trump‘s plan, Israel has withdrawn from nearly half of Gaza but its troops remain in control of the other half, a wasteland where nearly all buildings have been destroyed. Trump has floated turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Shaath will face the uncertain task of rebuilding the territory’s shattered infrastructure and clearing an estimated 68 million tons of rubble and unexploded ordnance even as Israel and Hamas continue to trade fire.
After past rounds of fighting with Israel, Palestinians in Gaza used war rubble as foundational material for the historic marina in Gaza City and for other projects. In an interview with a Palestinian radio station on Thursday, Shaath suggested a similar approach.
“If I brought bulldozers and pushed the rubble into the sea, and made new islands, new land, I can win new land for Gaza and at the same time clear the rubble,” Shaath said, suggesting the debris could be removed in three years.
He said his immediate priority was the provision of urgent relief, including forging temporary housing for displaced Palestinians. His second priority would be rehabilitating “essential and vital infrastructure,” he said, followed by reconstruction of homes and buildings.
“Gaza will return and be better than it used to be within seven years,” he said.
According to a 2024 UN report, rebuilding Gaza’s shattered homes will take until at least 2040, but could drag on for many decades.
REBUILDING GAZA
Shaath, born in 1958, is originally from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. He previously served as the deputy minister of planning in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, where he currently resides.
In that role and others, he oversaw the development of several industrial zones in the West Bank and Gaza. He holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast.
Shaath’s upbeat assessment of the timeline for rebuilding Gaza is almost certain to face challenges as mediators struggle to agree terms on disarming Hamas, which refuses to give up its weapons, and deploying peacekeepers in the enclave.
It was unclear how Shaath’s committee would proceed with rebuilding and gaining permissions for the import and use of heavy machinery and equipment – generally banned by Israel.
Israel, which cites security concerns for restricting the entry of such equipment into Gaza, did not respond to requests for comment on Shaath’s appointment and plans.
Shaath said the Palestinian committee’s area of jurisdiction would begin with Hamas-controlled territory and gradually increase as Israel’s military withdraws further, as called for in Trump‘s plan.
“Ultimately, the [committee’s] authority will encompass the entire Gaza Strip — 365 square kilometers — from the sea to the eastern border,” Shaath said in the radio interview.
SUPPORT FROM HAMAS AND ABBAS
The formation of Shaath’s committee has won support from Hamas, which is holding talks on Gaza’s future with other Palestinian factions in Cairo.
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said the “ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose authority has limited sway in the West Bank, voiced support for the committee, which he said would run Gaza through a “transitional phase.”
“We reaffirm the importance of linking the institutions of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza, and avoiding the establishment of administrative, legal and security systems that entrench duality and division,” Abbas said in a statement published on Thursday by the official WAFA news agency.
Israel and Hamas agreed in October to Trump‘s phased plan, which included a complete ceasefire, the exchange of hostages living and deceased for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The deal has been shaken by issues including Israeli airstrikes targeting Hamas operatives, the failure to retrieve the remains of one last Israeli hostage, and Israeli delays in reopening Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt.
On Thursday, a senior Hamas figure was among seven people killed in a pair of Israeli airstrikes in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, a Hamas source said.
The source said one of the dead was Mohammed Al-Holy, a local commander in the terrorist group’s armed wing in Deir al-Balah.