Israel Hamas under pressure - probably wants to co-govern Gaza in future
In an effort to maintain the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the USA is insisting that the Islamist Hamas release the remaining 13 dead hostages.
26.10.2025, 04:39
SDA
"Hamas will have to begin returning the bodies of the dead hostages, including two Americans, quickly," wrote US President Donald Trump on the Truth Social platform. Otherwise, the other countries involved in the peace process would take action. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in several Israeli cities to demand the return of the bodies.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas had promised to hand over the remains of a total of 28 hostages. So far, however, it has only handed over 15. Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, an Egyptian team traveled to the Gaza Strip with the personal permission of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help search for the remaining dead hostages. Some of the bodies were difficult to reach, but others could be returned by Hamas now, Trump wrote. For some reason, the terrorist organization is not doing that.
Trump: "I'm watching this very closely"
"Maybe it has to do with their disarmament", the US President wrote on Truth Social. The second phase of Trump's peace plan includes the disarmament of Hamas, which the Islamists reject. Trump warned that his promise that both sides would be treated fairly would only apply if they fulfilled their obligations. "Let's see what they do in the next 48 hours. I'm watching very closely," he wrote.
Israeli media quoted unnamed sources, according to which Hamas is expected to hand over two more bodies today. Mediators had made it clear to the terrorist organization that Trump was on the verge of holding Hamas responsible for a failure of the ceasefire. "It is important, especially in the coming weeks, that we maintain the ceasefire," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his most recent trip to the region.
At the end of his talks in Israel, he and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized the need to advance the common interests of the US and Israel, "first and foremost the return of the remaining hostages killed and the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip", according to a statement from Netanyahu's office.
Report: Hamas wants to co-govern after war in Gaza
In addition to the disarmament of Hamas, Trump's peace plan also provides for its exclusion from political participation in the Gaza Strip. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, the Islamists are not prepared to accept this. Leading Hamas representatives have told Arab mediators in Cairo in recent days that their organization cannot be wiped out and that it expects to continue to play a role in a post-war government in the Gaza Strip, it said, citing the mediators.
Since the ceasefire came into force on October 10, there have been repeated isolated incidents. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 90 Palestinians have been killed so far. "Hamas wants to show that no one can crush it and that it is the strongest player in the Gaza Strip," the Wall Street Journal quoted a former Israeli security official as saying. Hasan Abu Hanieh, an expert on Islamist groups based in Amman, told the newspaper: "For Hamas, the ceasefire is an agreement, not a surrender."
Estimates: Hamas still has several thousand fighters
According to estimates by Israeli experts, the Islamist terrorist organization still has between 10,000 and 25,000 fighters. "Hamas has suffered very serious damage in terms of its military capabilities. But I think it is fair to say that it has not been destroyed," Shalom Ben Hanan from the ICT think tank at Reichman University in Tel Aviv, which specializes in terrorism research, recently told the US broadcaster NBC News. "It may not pose a threat in the next few days or in the near future. But its potential is still there," he said.
According to the New York Times, the US military has recently deployed its own drones over the Gaza Strip to monitor compliance with the ceasefire. With the consent of the Israelis, aerial photographs of activities on the ground are being taken, according to Israeli and American military sources. The mission supports the coordination center in southern Israel, which is staffed by civilians and military representatives and has been monitoring compliance with the ceasefire since last week and is tasked with providing humanitarian and logistical aid to the people in the Gaza Strip.
Trump: international peacekeeping force to be deployed soon
Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on board his government aircraft Air Force One en route to Malaysia, Trump held out the prospect of the planned international peacekeeping force (ISF) for the Gaza Strip being deployed soon. He did not give a more precise time frame. Shortly beforehand, Trump had welcomed Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Gulf emirate's Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on board Air Force One during a refueling stop in Qatar. According to the Times of Israel, Trump then reportedly said that Qatar was prepared to send peacekeeping troops to the Gaza Strip if necessary.
According to Rubio, the US government is giving Israel a say in the composition of the international peacekeeping force. Many countries are currently expressing interest. According to reports, Israel does not want Turkey to send troops. The ISF would need an international mandate, for example from the UN or an international agreement, said Rubio during his visit to Israel. Work is currently underway to create the conditions for the peacekeeping force to arrive in Gaza "as soon as possible".
