Hamas and several Palestinian factions issued separate and joint statements on Tuesday rejecting the UN Security Council resolution sponsored by the United States on Gaza’s future, particularly its provisions for a proposed “Peace Council” and an international stabilization force.
The reaction raised questions, as Hamas had previously called for any such force to be authorized by the Security Council to ensure international legitimacy.
In their joint statement, Hamas and other Palestinian groups said the resolution “overrides international references” and creates field arrangements “outside the Palestinian national will.”
They warned that deploying an international force under the proposal could amount to “a form of imposed guardianship or administration,” undermining Palestinian self-determination.
The draft resolution called for an interim international force to be deployed immediately in Gaza to stabilize the situation. It would train and support pre-approved Palestinian police units in Gaza, coordinate with Egypt and Jordan, and work alongside Israel and Egypt to secure border areas.
Sources within Hamas and other factions told Asharq Al-Awsat that their opposition is not merely political. One major concern is the possibility of armed confrontations if the force attempts to disarm Hamas’s Qassam Brigades or other groups. Such a scenario, the sources said, is unacceptable and could trigger uncontrolled escalation.
They also fear that both the international force and the locally trained units - expected to receive training in Egypt and Jordan - could use their authority to pursue and arrest faction members, similar to the Palestinian Authority’s actions in the 1990s. This, they warn, would inevitably lead to direct clashes and dangerous developments.
According to Hamas sources, the movement had hoped the Security Council would authorize a monitoring force focused solely on enforcing a ceasefire, particularly on the Israeli side, which they accuse of repeatedly violating the Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire agreement.
The sources did not rule out an imminent meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, saying direct talks with Washington have become necessary to prevent Israel from exploiting the resolution to control Gaza’s security, aid, and reconstruction.
Regarding the proposed Peace Council, Hamas and other factions said they expected it to be symbolic only, with actual governance handled by a technocratic committee previously agreed upon with Egyptian mediators.
They warned that many understandings reached with mediators and the US had been “stripped of their original substance,” allowing Israel to retain open-ended security control rather than follow clear timetables.
The factions also criticized the resolution for separating Gaza from the West Bank and Jerusalem, saying this harms the unity of the Palestinian state-in-waiting.
Finally, they said labeling the Palestinian resistance as terrorism carries “extremely dangerous consequences,” opening the door to legal persecution of fighters, leaders, and even civilians both inside and outside Palestinian territory.
