Hamas: "We Accept an International Stabilization Force in Gaza... But No Interference in Internal Affairs"

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has stated that it would accept the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in the Gaza Strip, while insisting that there must be no interference in its internal affairs.

On the 12th (local time), Palestinian children are walking among the rubble at the Great Omari Mosque in the Gaza Strip. AP Yonhap News

On the 13th (local time), Bassem Naim of the Hamas political bureau said in an interview with the U.S. current affairs weekly Newsweek, "We do not oppose the arrival of the ISF in the Gaza Strip." He added, "The ISF should serve as a buffer between the two sides along the border, but must not interfere in Palestine's internal affairs, including civil, security, and political matters."

Naim warned, "If the ISF intervenes in internal affairs, Palestinians will regard the ISF as a substitute for the occupying forces (Israel)," adding, "This position is something that all Palestinian factions agreed upon in multiple meetings."

Naim reiterated that although it is not up to Hamas to decide which countries will participate in the ISF, "The role of these forces must be solely to separate the parties (the Israeli military and Hamas), maintain the cease-fire, prevent a recurrence of the war, and refrain from interfering in any area of Palestine's internal affairs, politics, or security."

The ISF is a Gaza security arrangement planned under the peace initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump, which led to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip in October last year. Under the second phase of the cease-fire, the ISF is to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces and Hamas, as well as the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

On the 10th, Indonesia announced that it was preparing 8,000 troops for deployment to the ISF. Azerbaijan, Egypt, and Turkiye have also signaled their intention to participate, and there is speculation that some European countries, including Italy and France, may send troops as well.

Contrary to the cease-fire agreement, Hamas has not disarmed, and Israel is citing this as grounds to continue sporadic military operations in the Gaza Strip.