Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt is calling for the rapid deployment of an international stabilization force along Gaza’s so-called “yellow line,” a buffer delineating Israeli military positions from zones where Palestinian civilians are permitted to move under the current ceasefire deal. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty issued the appeal during a panel at the Doha Forum 2025, arguing that independent monitoring is essential to uphold the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas.
Abdelatty said Cairo supports a peacekeeping not peace-enforcing mandate, emphasizing that credibility and restraint are key to consolidating the ceasefire. “One party, which is Israel, is every day violating the ceasefire and claiming that the other side is the one who is violating,” he said, insisting that only an impartial, multinational presence can verify compliance on the ground.
The minister’s comments come as Israel continues to occupy more than half of Gaza’s territory even after the ceasefire took effect. The yellow line, originally intended as a temporary separation measure, has become a focal point of disputes over access, security, and humanitarian movement.
Abdelatty stressed that solidifying the truce is a prerequisite for moving forward with the next phase of the political process. He referred to what he called the “second phase of the Trump peace plan,” which in diplomatic circles is understood to involve expanded reconstruction efforts and a transition toward new administrative arrangements in Gaza.
He reiterated Egypt’s long-standing position that Palestinians must ultimately govern themselves. Gaza and the West Bank, he said, are “an integral part of the independent Palestinian state,” and the Palestinian Authority must be fully empowered and re-established in Gaza to ensure institutional unity. “There is no solution or sustainable security and stability for Israel or for the Middle East without the Palestinian state… apart from that, all will be temporary solutions,” he warned.
A recently passed UN measure Resolution 2803 lays out a framework for such a transition, establishing a Board of Peace, an International Stabilization Force (ISF), and a new administrative committee tasked with overseeing ceasefire implementation and early governance arrangements. Yet violence has persisted: according to Gaza authorities, Israel has carried out hundreds of ceasefire violations since Oct. 10, killing at least 366 Palestinians in that period alone.
Phase one of the ceasefire deal involves the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, while subsequent phases envision the reconstruction of Gaza and the development of a governing mechanism that excludes Hamas.
But even as diplomatic pathways are discussed, the humanitarian and security situation remains dire. Since Israel’s military campaign began in October 2023, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority women and children and nearly 171,000 injured, according to Gaza health officials. The minister said conditions in the occupied West Bank are “even worse than in Gaza,” citing daily settler attacks that aim to intimidate residents and push them off their land.
The crisis has also intensified pressure on Gaza’s crossings, particularly the Rafah crossing bordering Egypt. Abdelatty made clear that while Egypt keeps its side open “24/7,” the Israeli military continues to keep the Gaza-side gate shut. He delivered an unambiguous message: Egypt will not allow Rafah to become a channel for mass displacement.
“We will not allow the crossing to be used as a gate for displacement or for putting people out of their homeland,” he said. “There is no ethical or moral justification to displace the Palestinians. Only those who are injured and need medical assistance from outside can be allowed to cross.”
With winter descending on the devastated enclave, the minister urged the international community to “flood Gaza with all humanitarian and medical aid” and to accelerate preparations for early recovery and reconstruction. “People are suffering, there are no shelters,” he said, underscoring the urgency of delivering fuel, food, medical supplies, and materials for temporary housing.
As diplomatic initiatives gather momentum and pressure mounts for sustained international involvement, Egypt is positioning itself as both a regional mediator and a guardian of Palestinian territorial integrity. Its call for an international stabilization force reflects growing concern that, without external oversight, the ceasefire may remain dangerously vulnerable and Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe could deepen even further.
