Hamas rejects UN Security Council’s adoption of US-drafted Gaza resolution

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Palestinian group Hamas rejected the UN Security Council's adoption Monday of a US-drafted resolution authorizing a Board of Peace and an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in the Gaza Strip.

"The resolution imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject," it said on Telegram.

The statement came right after the resolution passed with 13 votes in favor, while Russia and China abstained.

"Assigning the international force with tasks and roles inside the Gaza Strip, including disarming the resistance, strips it of its neutrality and turns it into a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation," the group added.

Last month, Israel and Hamas accepted the initial stage of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan -- a ceasefire to halt the two-year war and an agreement providing for the release of hostages.

The resolution stipulates that the Board of Peace and International Stabilization Force's "presences authorized by this resolution shall remain authorized until Dec. 31, 2027, subject to further action by the Council, and (that) any further reauthorization of the ISF be in full cooperation and coordination with Egypt and Israel and other Member States continuing to work with the ISF.”

Hamas said that any international force, "if established, must be deployed only at the borders to separate forces, monitor the ceasefire, and must be fully under UN supervision."

The US thanked the 15-member Security Council for the adoption of the resolution and also the countries that backed the effort, including Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Türkiye and Jordan.