UN Security Council Set for Pivotal Vote on US-Brokered Gaza Plan as Washington Warns Against ‘Rewarding Hamas’

As the UN Security Council is set to vote on Monday on the US-brokered Gaza resolution, Washington's Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz warned that failure to endorse the plan, would only serve to endorse and reward Hamas' terrorism, undermine the ceasefire, and support war.

Under the plan's dictates, the IDF will stage a phased withdrawal from Gaza, giving up its post-war security to a multi-national task force called the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), while the Strip's administration would be overseen by an apolitical Board of Peace, supervised by President Donald Trump.

The Board and the ISF would be a part of an interim administration, facilitating the war-torn enclave's security, and socio-political stability, until its reconstruction is complete, and a new democratically elected Palestinian regime takes the reigns.

Writing in the Washington Post on Friday, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the Council now faces a decisive moment. "Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict," he said.

"Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to re-litigate the past, will come with a real human cost."

The resolution follows the ceasefire-hostage agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on October 9, under which Israel agreed to withdraw from the Strip, in exchange for release of all the 20 living captives taken during the Oct 7, 2023 onslaught, as well as delivering the complete remains of all 28 captives, who died in Hamas' custody.

So far, IDF has vacated some parts of Gaza, while the terror group has released all the 20 living captives, and handed over the remains of over 25 of the 28 deceased hostages.

The US has spent the past week negotiating the draft with the 15-member Security Council.

As per the Times of Israel, which received a copy of the document, containing the full text of President Donald Trump's 20-point post-war proposal unveiled in September and endorsed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, the terms of the two interim bodies would last until the end of 2027.

All the countries that have expressed a willingness to contribute troops to the proposed task force, have said that a formal UN resolution had to be enshrined first, before its deployment.

The peace plan also outlines a phased ceasefire under which Gaza would be demilitarised, reconstruction would begin, and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) would be expected to undertake "faithful" governance reforms.

According to the text, such steps could eventually "create the conditions for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood".

The UNSC will chair its vote on the plan's implementation, and international recognition, as some diplomatic negotiations are still ongoing, stemming from disagreements by both Israel, as well as mediating countries.