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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| US denies Hamas violating deal, is aiming to set up safe zone for Gazans fleeing group |
| 2025-10-16 |
Long. A taste. [IsraelTimes] Top Trump aides say only Hamas-free areas will be rebuilt, reveal countries offering to join postwar security force, stress Gazans won’t be forced to leave Strip during reconstructionThe United States denied on Wednesday that Hamas is violating the ceasefire deal with Israel, insisting that a dragged-out process to return the bodies of hostages held in Gaza was expected, given the difficult conditions on the ground. “We’ve heard a lot of people saying, ‘Hamas violated the deal, because not all the bodies have been returned.’ The understanding we had with them was we get all the live hostages out, which they honor[ed],” said a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump during a briefing with reporters. The top Trump aide was joined by a second senior Trump adviser for a briefing that covered a range of topics concerning the implementation of the remaining parts of Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. In addition to effectively defending Hamas’s efforts to retrieve the remaining bodies still held in Gaza, the Trump advisers revealed that the US is working with Israel to set up a safe zone inside the areas of Gaza still controlled by the IDF to which Palestinian civilians fearing Hamas retribution can flee. They acknowledged that the demilitarization of the Strip will be complex, but expressed hope that limiting the redevelopment of Gaza to areas that are Hamas-free will help advance the effort. The Trump advisers said many countries have offered to contribute to the International Stabilization Force that is slated to secure Gaza in place of Israel during the transitional postwar period, per Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the conflict. The Trump advisers stressed that Gazans will not be forced to leave the Strip while it is being rebuilt, in a notable about-face from the administration’s initial stance upon Trump’s return to office, when they insisted that Gaza was uninhabitable and that Palestinians should therefore leave while the US takes it over and turns the enclave into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” The pair concluded the briefing by detailing efforts to recruit Palestinians to take part in the transitional technocratic government that will administer postwar Gaza, knocking the existing Palestinian Authority as they made the case for relying on Palestinian living abroad. |
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