US ‘in talks’ with Israel over taking control of Gaza

The US and Israel are reported to be in talks over Washington taking over the administration of the Gaza Strip, days before Donald Trump arrives in the Middle East.

Palestinians collect belongings from a school used as a shelter by displaced residents that was hit twice by Israeli army strikes. Picture; AP.

The US and Israel are reported to be in talks over Washington taking over the administration of the Gaza Strip, days before President Trump arrives in the Middle East.

The talks, which according to the Reuters news agency are at a preliminary stage, would involve the United States leading a transitional government until safety and security in the Palestinian territory had been established.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, the president promised a big announcement before his trip, which so far is scheduled to include visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. So far there are no plans to include a visit to Israel, with renewed fighting in Gaza making the security situation fragile.

According to the report there would be no role in the US-administered strip for Hamas, which has led Gaza since 2007 or the Palestinian Authority (PA), the body that has jurisdiction over the parts of the West Bank controlled by the Palestinians.

Palestinians inspect the damage at a school used as a shelter by displaced residents that was hit twice by Israeli army strikes. Picture; AP.

However, any such move to administer the territory by Washington is likely to be met with opposition among Arab countries in the Middle East.

“We cannot speak to ongoing negotiations,” said a spokesperson for the US State Department.

“Hamas bears sole responsibility for the war, and for the resumption of hostilities. We want peace, and the immediate release of the hostages.

“The pillars of our approach remain resolute: stand with Israel, stand for peace. President Trump has made clear the consequences Hamas will face if it continues to hold the hostages, including American Edan Alexander and the bodies of four Americans.”

Initially, the high level discussions between American and Israeli officials are understood to have been about considering an interim administration in Gaza similar to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq that Washington established in 2003, shortly after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The authority was perceived by many Iraqis as an occupying force and it transferred power to an interim Iraqi government in 2004.

While no timeline has been discussed, it is not thought that the US envisages a long-term presence in Gaza, should the plans progress.

Earlier this year, however, Trump discussed the possibility of the United States taking over Gaza and turning it into a Mediterranean holiday resort. He proposed moving Palestinians out of the territory and speculated that they could move to other countries in the region. Israel, he said, would provide the security.

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007, when it took control after winning an internecine war with Fatah, the other main Palestinian group, which dominates the PA.

After years of skirmishes and short wars, Israel vowed to topple Hamas after it launched a terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, which led to the deaths of almost 1200 people in Israel.

The office of Binyamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, declined to comment on the talks.

In an April interview with the Emirati-owned Sky News Arabia, Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, said he believed there would be a “transitional period” after the conflict in which an international board of trustees, including “moderate Arab countries”, would oversee Gaza with Palestinians operating under their guidance.

“We’re not looking to control the civil life of the people in Gaza. Our sole interest in the Gaza Strip is security,” he said, without naming which countries he believed would be involved.

Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, rejected the idea of an administration led by the United States or any foreign government, saying the Palestinian people of Gaza should choose their own rulers.

The Times