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The United States has informed mediating countries and states expected to contribute forces to an international security mission in Gaza that it will allow Israel to resume military operations if Hamas does not disarm, according to a report by the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom.
The newspaper said that Washington conveyed this position explicitly during UN Security Council deliberations on the future of the Gaza Strip. US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, reportedly reaffirmed the stance in internal discussions with American representatives involved in the resolution’s negotiations.
US officials have also relayed the same message to Israeli political leaders and military commanders, including during talks with the Israel Defence Forces at the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, according to the report. Washington emphasised its commitment to the full disarmament of Hamas and the dismantling of its military infrastructure in Gaza.
Israeli political sources told the newspaper that the US set two immediate priorities following the Security Council’s adoption of the Gaza resolution: the establishment of an international force to operate inside the Gaza Strip, and preventing Hamas from controlling the entry and distribution of supplies into the besieged territory.
However, the formation of such a force faces significant obstacles. So far, no country has agreed to deploy troops that could become involved in direct confrontations with Hamas.
The US position comes amid ongoing negotiations over Gaza’s post-war governance and security arrangements and reflects Washington’s insistence that any political or humanitarian framework must ensure Hamas cannot regain military control.
READ: Options before Hamas on the question of disarmament
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
