The Trump administration is working to create a multinational security force for Gaza, select potential civilian leaders, and begin initial reconstruction of the enclave, two senior presidential advisers told reporters.
The first week of peace in Gaza has brought scenes of joyful reunions and public executions, Israeli withdrawals and new clashes. The peace process is moving forward according to plan but already shows early signs of crisis. After two years of war, the exchange of living hostages and prisoners has concluded, humanitarian aid is flowing in, and bulldozers have begun clearing debris. Yet key questions remain unresolved—who will govern Gaza, who will ensure security, and what will happen to Hamas and Israeli forces.
Trump’s advisers said Washington is urging both sides to move to the second phase of the process, which will address precisely these issues. The U.S. also plans to begin reconstruction in areas not controlled by Hamas—starting with the city of Rafah on the Egyptian border, intended as a model for a “post-Hamas Gaza.” In the short term, priorities remain preventing new clashes along the “yellow line” of separation, streamlining humanitarian deliveries, and recovering the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages.
Israeli officials have warned U.S. envoys that the process could stall if Hamas fails to meet its obligations to return the bodies. A crisis was averted only after the group handed over several remains and Israel dropped threats of retaliation. Later, Hamas said it had no more bodies and that finding the rest would require “special means and efforts.” Israeli officials acknowledge that some remains will be difficult to locate but say that 15 to 20 could be recovered quickly.
U.S. advisers did not consider Hamas’s failure to meet those demands a breach of the deal. Still, both Washington and Jerusalem fear that members of the right wing in Netanyahu’s government could use the situation to derail the agreements and restart the war.
Meanwhile in Gaza, Hamas security forces have returned to the streets and begun brutal reprisals. The group has carried out public executions of suspected informants and engaged in shootouts with rival armed factions—raising fears that instead of relinquishing power, Hamas is trying to reassert control.
On Sunday, Trump said the U.S. had “given them permission for a certain period” to maintain order and approvingly noted that the group had “taken out a couple of very dangerous gangs.” However, on Wednesday CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper urged Hamas to “immediately cease the violence and the shelling of peaceful Palestinians.”
Under the agreement, Hamas is required to disarm. However, U.S. advisers noted that its leaders fear their fighters would become vulnerable to rival groups if they give up weapons immediately. Washington is holding talks with Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt to define what exactly “demilitarization” entails and how it should be implemented. The U.S. is also pushing for arrangements allowing Palestinians who feel threatened by Hamas to relocate to areas under Israeli control—a proposal Israel has endorsed.
Along the demarcation line, beyond which Israel has withdrawn its forces, incidents continue to occur: on Wednesday, Israeli troops killed two Palestinians, and the day before—five. In both cases, the army said it had fired on “suspicious individuals” approaching its positions. Despite such episodes, the ceasefire largely holds. Under the first phase of the agreement, Israel retains control over roughly half of the enclave’s territory.
According to the advisers, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, and Azerbaijan have expressed readiness to contribute troops to a multinational stabilization force. At the same time, the U.S. is assisting in selecting candidates for a technocratic government to take over Gaza’s administration, including members of the Palestinian diaspora who wish to return.
The next round of talks—focused on Gaza’s demilitarization and the conditions for further Israeli withdrawals—promises to be extremely difficult. On Wednesday, Trump declared that he had achieved peace in the Middle East “for the first time in 3,000 years,” but warned that if Hamas does not disarm voluntarily, it will be forced to—possibly at the cost of renewed war.