The Arab official said that “extensive talks” will start immediately with Hamas and Israel on the details of the second phase, which he expects to be tough.
Those talks are expected the tackle the issue of disarming Hamas, a step the militant group has not yet agreed to. The plan also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from the roughly half of the Gaza Strip that they still control as the international force deploys.
Funding for a rebuilding plan for the Gaza Strip still has not been determined. Some Palestinians have expressed concern over the apparent lack of a Palestinian voice in the body and the lack of a firm promise in the plan that they will eventually gain statehood.
Netanyahu’s government rejects the creation of a Palestinian state, and the US-brokered deal includes only a vague provision that a pathway toward statehood may be possible if certain conditions are met.
Israel’s plan to open a Gaza border crossing with Egypt
Israel announced on Wednesday that it plans to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in the coming days, allowing Palestinians to leave the devastated strip as laid out by the ceasefire agreement. That could be a major development for residents, for whom leaving has been extremely difficult — if not impossible — for most of the war.
However, the governments of Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar all expressed “deep concern” on Friday about the plan.
A dispute also emerged between Egypt and Israel — Cairo wants Palestinians to be able to return to Gaza through the crossing and says it would only be opened if movement is allowed both ways. Israel has said that Palestinians will not be able to return to Gaza through the crossing until the last hostages’ remains are returned from Gaza.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the eight countries said the Rafah crossing must be open in both directions to allow for “freedom of movement” for Palestinians. They also expressed concern that if Palestinians were to leave Gaza, they might not be allowed to return.
The ministers underscored “their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land,” they wrote.
