Israel on Tuesday praised the United States President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan following its endorsement by the United Nations Security Council, even as Hamas rejected the proposal, which includes the deployment of an international stabilisation force in the territory.
The Council has earlier, adopted a US-drafted resolution supporting Trump’s roadmap for Gaza which reinforced a fragile ceasefire that was held between Israel and Hamas since October 10.
The plan authorises the creation of an international force that will work alongside Israel, Egypt, and newly trained Palestinian police to secure border areas and oversee the demilitarisation of Gaza.
While many Palestinians in Gaza welcomed any initiative that could ease their suffering, they expressed doubts over Israel’s willingness to comply. “Any international decision that benefits the Palestinians now is welcome,” said Saeb Al-Hassanat, 39, displaced and living in a school shelter. “But without strong US pressure, Israel will not comply, and the resolution will remain worthless.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office hailed the plan, saying it would “lead to peace and prosperity” and ensure the “full demilitarisation, disarmament, and deradicalisation” of Gaza. Israeli authorities also highlighted the potential for deeper regional integration and the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
The resolution secured 13 votes in favour, with Russia and China abstaining.
Despite a pause in hostilities, living conditions in Gaza remain dire. Rawia Abbas, a resident of Gaza City’s devastated Zeitun district, said her family still struggles for basic necessities. “We have no food, no water, and no homes,” she said. “My children stand in line for hours to get a gallon of water. Now we are in God’s hands.”
Trump celebrated the vote on social media, saying it would lead to “further peace all over the world.”
However, Hamas strongly rejected the resolution, saying it fails to meet Palestinians’ political and humanitarian needs. The group condemned what it described as an attempt to impose “an international trusteeship” on Gaza something it insists the Palestinian people will not accept.
The international stabilisation force, as outlined in the resolution, would be tasked with disarming non-state actors, protecting civilians, and securing humanitarian aid corridors.
The Palestinian foreign ministry, based in the West Bank, welcomed the vote, saying it upholds Palestinians’ right to self-determination and calls for unhindered humanitarian assistance. It urged immediate implementation of the resolution.
While Israel has long rejected the notion of a Palestinian state, the resolution indirectly references the possibility. It states that once the Palestinian Authority carries out required reforms and Gaza’s reconstruction advances, conditions “may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
