Palestinian presidency rejects administration of Gaza by foreign forces

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestinian presidency released a statement Sunday rejecting any administration of Gaza by international forces in response to statements by Israel calling for such a move.

“There is no legitimacy for any foreign presence on Palestinian Territory, and only the Palestinian people can decide who governs them and manages their affairs,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesperson for the presidency.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted an unnamed security official as saying that the Israeli army will remain in the Gaza Strip until an international force is found to replace it, which could take several months.

Abu Rudeineh affirmed “the illegitimacy of colonies and the displacement policy that the occupation authorities were trying to implement on the ground through bloody massacres.”

“We will not accept or allow the presence of a foreigner on our land, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“The Palestinian issue is one of land and statehood, not a matter of humanitarian aid. It is a sacred cause and the central issue for the Arabs.”

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 37,900 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and around 87,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Over eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala