Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday called for the removal of Hamas from the region, one day after the United Nations Security Council approved U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza, a proposal that includes offering amnesty to members of the group.
Netanyahu had publicly endorsed the plan during a visit to the White House in late September, but his latest remarks suggest emerging differences between Israel and the United States over the next steps. Hamas, for its part, has also rejected elements of the proposal.
Responding on X to the UN vote, Netanyahu said his government believes the plan can bring “peace and prosperity” because it calls for “the complete removal of weapons and extremism from Gaza.” He urged neighboring states to “join us in removing Hamas and its supporters from the region.”
Asked what Netanyahu meant by “removing” Hamas, his spokesperson clarified that it refers to ensuring Hamas has no presence in Gaza, as outlined in the plan, and preventing the group from governing Palestinians in the territory.
What the Trump Plan Says and Does Not Say
Trump’s initiative includes a clause offering amnesty to Hamas members who renounce violence, surrender their weapons, and choose peaceful coexistence. It also provides a safe corridor for those who wish to relocate to third countries. Another provision stipulates that Hamas must relinquish any role in governing Gaza.
However, the plan does not call for dissolving the group or forcibly expelling its members from the enclave.
The proposal also envisions reforms within the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which could eventually “create conditions for a credible path toward Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
Despite this, Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that Israel continues to oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state, following pressure from far-right partners in his coalition who objected to a U.S.-backed statement supporting Palestinian independence. He also opposes any future role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
UN Approves Multinational Force for Gaza
The Security Council’s resolution authorizes the formation of a multinational force that the Trump plan envisions as a temporary stabilizing presence in Gaza. Member states may also join a new “Peace Council” tasked with overseeing reconstruction and economic recovery in the territory.
Hamas criticized the resolution, saying it “falls short of meeting the political and humanitarian demands of the Palestinian people” and imposes an international trusteeship over Gaza.
Riham Oudeh, a political analyst from Gaza, said Hamas’s statement should be interpreted as an objection not a full rejection aimed at influencing negotiations over how the international force and Peace Council will operate.
Abu Abdullah, a displaced businessman in central Gaza, said many Palestinians would support the deployment of international forces if it led to a full Israeli withdrawal. “Hamas alone cannot decide our fate,” he said in a phone interview. “But we also don’t want to replace one occupation, Israel, with another international occupation.”
