Netanyahu postpones Gaza security, administrative arrangements until after Israeli election
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed security and administrative arrangements regarding the future of the Gaza Strip until after the Oct. 27 election, including the deployment of an international force and the arrival of a committee to administer the territory, according to Israeli media on Sunday. Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said Netanyahu has ordered a delay in the travel of about 7,000 Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt for police training, despite being approved by Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency. The outlet said the decision was part of “a series of steps concerning the future of the Gaza Strip that the Israeli political leadership has postponed until after the election.” The delayed measures also include preparations to build a new city in Rafah, the deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza and the arrival of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. The Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the Shin Bet had given security clearance to between 5,000 and 7,000 Palestinians being considered for police training in Egypt. The agency’s role was limited to vetting names submitted to it by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, the newspaper said, adding that it had no authority to decide whether the candidates could travel. The paper cited informed sources as saying that instructions to delay Gaza reconstruction measures had been issued by Israeli political leaders in stages over recent weeks, rather than through a single explicit order to halt the process. The instructions included general indications that the measures should be implemented after the election, the sources said. They suggested the delays may reflect concerns that Gaza reconstruction efforts and the training of Palestinian police officers in Egypt “do not serve Netanyahu’s political interests at this time.” In August, Netanyahu denied approving the deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza, although its deployment is part of Trump’s plan to end Israel’s war on the territory. The force is expected to comprise troops from several countries and be led by a US general, according to the Board of Peace. Last July, the Board of Peace announced a roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Hamas later announced its acceptance of the plan and called for Israel to be compelled to implement it. The roadmap calls for transferring administration of Gaza to the national committee under international supervision, deploying the international stabilization force, placing Hamas’ weapons under the committee’s responsibility, and carrying out a phased Israeli withdrawal alongside reconstruction. Netanyahu, however, announced in August that he rejected the understandings, insisting that Hamas disarm before any Israeli withdrawal. Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, the Israeli army has killed 1,551 Palestinians and injured 5,573 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Since October 2023, Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and wounded over 175,000, while causing widespread destruction to about 90% of the territory's civilian infrastructure.