Egypt Unveils UNSC Proposal for International Presence in Gaza, West Bank

Egypt today unveiled a proposal for the UN Security Council to consider establishing an international presence in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

This came during a meeting held in Cairo between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, foreign ambassadors, and international representatives to discuss the rehabilitation of Gaza’s healthcare sector.

“There is a proposal for the Security Council to study establishing an international presence in Gaza and the West Bank,” Abdelatty said in statements cited by a Foreign Ministry statement.

“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 added.

He did not specify the current stage of this proposal.

An emergency Arab summit on Gaza held in Egypt on 4 March called for the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Gaza and the West Bank, as part of political efforts to establish a Palestinian state.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, an Arab plan for rebuilding Gaza without displacing its Palestinian inhabitants has received significant regional and international support.

Abdelatty outlined key requirements for the plan’s success, including stabilising a ceasefire in Gaza, managing early recovery and reconstruction efforts in a way that ensures Palestinian ownership, and treating Gaza as an integral part of Palestinian territory.

He also stressed the need to enable the Palestinian Authority to return to Gaza and assume its responsibilities.

Over 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 2023. The assault, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on 19 January.

Additionally, Abdelatty noted that Egypt and Jordan have begun training Palestinian police officers in preparation for their deployment in Gaza.

Last month, US President Donald Trump said America will take over the Strip to create the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ with Palestinians being forced out and not being allowed to return once construction is completed. After coming under global pressure and calls that his plan allowed war crimes to be carried out, he retracted part of the plan and said “nobody is expelling Palestinians.