GAZA – The UN Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, paving the way for a new international mission tasked with securing the territory and overseeing long-term reconstruction.
Thirteen of the Council’s 15 members — including the UK, France and Somalia — voted in favour of the measure. Russia and China abstained, allowing the proposal to pass without opposition.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the move as “an important step in the consolidation of the ceasefire,” urging that the text be translated into “concrete and urgently needed steps on the ground” that restart a political process toward a two-state solution.
International Stabilisation Force to take lead role
Central to the resolution is the creation of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which Washington says several unnamed countries are ready to join.
The ISF will work with Israel, Egypt and a newly trained Palestinian police force to secure border areas and enforce the permanent disarmament of non-state armed groups, including Hamas.
US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the Council that the force will be responsible for “securing the area, supporting the demilitarization of Gaza, dismantling terrorist infrastructure, removing weapons, and ensuring the safety of Palestinian civilians.”
Until now, policing and civil order in Gaza have operated under Hamas authority.
Hamas rejects UN vote
Hamas condemned the decision, saying the plan amounts to “international guardianship” over Gaza.
In a statement on Telegram, the group argued the mandate to disarm resistance factions “strips [the force] of neutrality and turns it into a party to the conflict in favour of the occupation.”
The militant group said the resolution fails to address Palestinian rights and demands.
New governance body and reconstruction fund
The resolution also establishes a transitional governance body known as the Board of Peace (BoP), which will supervise an apolitical Palestinian technocratic committee and oversee massive reconstruction efforts after nearly two years of war.
Gaza’s rebuilding will be financed through a World Bank-backed trust fund. Both the ISF and the BoP will work alongside Palestinian institutions.
Trump hailed the vote as “historic,” saying it endorses the BoP, which he is expected to chair. “This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Notably, the final text includes references to a “credible pathway” toward Palestinian self-determination and eventual statehood — language pushed by several Council members after strong lobbying from Arab states.
Arab states, PA urge swift implementation
The Palestinian Authority said the resolution must be implemented “urgently and immediately.”
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and several other Arab and Muslim nations threw their weight behind the measure.
Russia and China, although abstaining, criticised the resolution for lacking clarity on who will participate in the ISF and BoP and for failing to guarantee a firm UN role.
Ceasefire holds after years of conflict
An initial ceasefire arrangement, including the exchange of hostages and detainees, came into force on 10 October. Waltz described it as a “fragile, fragile first step.”
Fighting had been ongoing since Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
Since then, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed more than 69,483 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
