Author: Pesha Majeed and Nidal Mughrabi
JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – The U.S.-backed Palestinian committee aiming to seize control of Gaza from Hamas militants opened applications on Thursday to establish a police force in the enclave, as President Donald Trump convened the first meeting of an international peace council.
Trump announced billions of dollars in donations to rebuild Gaza, and his administration detailed plans for a U.N.-mandated stabilization force for the territory at a meeting in Washington. Establishing security in Gaza is one of many daunting obstacles.
The National Administrative Council of Gaza (NCAG) said in a statement on June 1 that the recruitment process was “open to qualified men and women who wish to serve in the police force.”
It contains a link to a website where Palestinians can apply. Applicants must be Gaza residents aged 18-35, have no criminal record, and be in good health.
Nikolay Mladenov, Trump’s special envoy for post-war coordination in Gaza, told a peace council meeting that some 2,000 Palestinians signed up to join the police force in the first hours after the application took effect.
Army Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, who was appointed commander of the U.N.-mandated multinational peacekeeping force in Gaza, told the meeting that the force’s long-term plan is to train about 12,000 police officers for Gaza.
Hamas seeks roles for its police
Reuters previously reported that the Islamist group Hamas is seeking to integrate its 10,000 police officers into the new U.S.-backed Palestinian government in Gaza. The group, dominated by attacks on Israel before the war, returned to administration despite Israel’s vow to destroy it.
Hamas retains control of nearly half of Gaza, more than 50% of which is occupied by Israel, after an October ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Israel’s withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas are among the main obstacles for the United States as it seeks to advance its plans for peace in the strip.
The 20-point plan to end the war, now in its second phase, calls for Gaza’s governance to be handed over to NCAG, with the aim of excluding Hamas.
NCAG said in a statement that it respected “the dedication of police officers who continue to serve their people despite bombing, displacement and extraordinary hardship.”
It did not say whether future police recruitment could include members of the current Gaza police force, which has served while the Strip was under Hamas control.
NCAG and Hamas did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem previously told Reuters the group was ready to hand over governance to the 15-member NCAG and its chairman Ali Shaath, effective immediately.
“We have every confidence that it will operate on the basis of benefiting from qualified personnel and will not waste the rights of anyone who worked in the previous period,” Qasim said, referring to more than 40,000 civil servants and security personnel.
Israel firmly rejects Hamas involvement in Gaza’s future.
The Gaza Strip has been devastated by more than two years of Israeli attacks that have killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and left much of the strip in ruins, according to local health authorities.
According to Israeli statistics, militants led by Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages.
(Reporting by Pesha Magid in Jerusalem, Nidal Al Mughrabi in Cairo, Simon Lewis and Katharine Jackson in Washington; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Rami Ayyub)