Egypt has put forward a proposal for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to consider deploying an international presence in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty revealed today.
Speaking at a Cairo meeting with foreign diplomats and international representatives focused on rehabilitating Gaza’s healthcare system, Abdelatty stated that the plan calls for a Security Council resolution to establish peacekeeping or international protection forces.
“This will be done through the adoption of a Security Council resolution to deploy peacekeeping or international protection forces with clear mandates and powers, under a timetable that ensures the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” he explained, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. However, Abdelatty did not clarify the current status of the proposal.
A similar idea was endorsed during an emergency Arab summit on Gaza, held in Egypt in March 4, which called for peacekeeping forces to be stationed in both Palestinian territories as part of broader political efforts to achieve statehood.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also highlighted growing regional and international backing for an Arab-led initiative to rebuild Gaza while preventing the displacement of its Palestinian population.
For the reconstruction plan to succeed, Abdelatty stressed the importance of securing a lasting ceasefire, overseeing early recovery efforts with the Palestinian leadership, and reaffirming Gaza’s status as an integral part of Palestinian land. He also emphasised the need for the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza and assume administrative control.
In preparation, Egypt and Jordan have begun training Palestinian police officers for deployment in the Strip.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed over 48,500 Palestinians—most of them civilian women and children—and wounded more than 112,000. The assault devastated the enclave before a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement took effect in January 19.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump last month suggested that Washington could take control of Gaza, transforming it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” while preventing displaced Palestinians from returning. Facing widespread condemnation, Trump later walked back part of the proposal, insisting that “nobody is expelling Palestinians.”
