by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – Egypt has begun training hundreds of Palestinians to form a new security force of up to 10,000 personnel to operate in Gaza after the war, Arab officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The effort, backed by several Arab states, reflects a shared vision of postwar Gaza without Hamas.
According to WSJ, potential recruits–mainly from the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) security services in the West Bank–have already started training at Egyptian military academies. Some members of the PA’s Fatah faction from Gaza may also join. Mahmoud al-Habbash, a senior adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, confirmed the plan, stating that 5,000 security personnel would begin six months of training in Egypt as soon as a ceasefire takes hold. “Hamas should not be part of the day after,” Habbash said. “Without the PA, it’s either Hamas or chaos.”
Israel, however, has made clear its opposition to the PA returning to power in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has portrayed the body as little different from Hamas. Amir Avivi, a former Israeli defense official close to the government, told WSJ that Israel would not accept PA security forces in Gaza, arguing instead that locals unaffiliated with Hamas or the PA should handle policing under Israeli security oversight.
Arab states remain divided over the details. The United Arab Emirates has insisted that reforms to the PA must come before it supports the authority’s role in Gaza. Most of the force is expected to come from Egypt, with smaller contingents from Jordan and Gulf states.
The training initiative comes amid a rare consensus among Arab countries–including Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia–that Hamas must step aside. In July, the Arab League for the first time explicitly called on Hamas to disarm and end its rule. Still, Hamas has rejected plans that would strip it of power, most recently spurning an Egyptian-Qatari proposal in favor of a 60-day cease-fire deal tied to prisoner exchanges.
Palestinians themselves remain deeply skeptical of the PA. A May poll found that 81% want Abbas to resign, reflecting years of corruption allegations and eroded legitimacy. Analysts told the WSJ that Arab states view the training effort as an attempt to rehabilitate the PA’s standing. Even so, experts caution that any postwar arrangement would need to integrate some former Hamas police to avoid a fractured security environment–and would likely require U.S. pressure on Israel to move forward.
Cease-fire negotiations remain stalled. Hamas is pressing a proposal nearly identical to one Israel made in July. Still, Netanyahu insists on a single deal that would free all hostages and end Hamas’s control of Gaza.
Despite devastating losses–including the killing of senior leaders like Yahya Sinwar–Hamas is believed to retain roughly 20,000 fighters, though many are untrained recruits. WSJ noted the group is struggling financially and organizationally as Israel’s campaign continues.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Bulgaria says Russia was likely behind the jamming of navigation signals that disrupted the flight of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as she approached Plovdiv, the country’s second-largest city. Pilots were forced to rely on ground-based navigation and paper charts to land safely, delaying her arrival.
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says its inspectors have found traces of uranium at a Syrian site once believed to be part of a secret nuclear program under former President Bashar Assad.
A stabbing rampage in southern France’s c
ity of Marseille injured at least five people before police fatally shot the attacker, authorities said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow has “never opposed Ukraine’s potential membership of the European Union,” but warned that Ukraine joining the NATO military alliance would be unacceptable.
Members of Islamic extremist group Boko Haram killed at least eight Christians in two separate attacks across Borno State over the weekend, local sources and authorities confirmed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene top ministers and aides on Thursday to examine whether Israel should apply sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, a move tantamount to annexation, amid growing momentum at the United Nations for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Israel’s leadership on Tuesday signaled the war against Hamas is entering its most critical stage, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir pledging to press on until the terror group is destroyed.