US, Israel and UAE held secret meeting over plans for post-war Gaza involving international peace keeping force and no Hamas, report claims after terror group and Fatah agreed to rule territory together in China-brokered deal

The US, Israel and the United Arab Emirates held a secret meeting to discuss plans for Gaza after the war, a report based on government sources said. Proposals included removing Hamas authorities and deploying a peacekeeping force there.

On behalf of the US, senior American officials were present, including Brett McGurk, President Biden’s top Middle East adviser, and Tom Sullivan, a State Department adviser, Axios reports, citing Israeli sources.

Thursday’s meeting in Abu Dhabi stands in stark contrast to a meeting hosted by China two days earlier, at which Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas signed an agreement with Hamas officials to establish an “interim government for national reconciliation” in post-war Gaza.

While the conclusion of the US meeting with Israeli and UAE officials is unclear, neither Washington nor Tel Aviv would approve of a post-war plan involving Hamas, which they view as a terrorist organization.

The two very different encounters underscore how far apart and perhaps even irreconcilable the positions of the two sides are, as the war continues and casualties in the besieged Gaza Strip continue to mount.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed that his forces will continue fighting until Hamas is completely eradicated, despite international pressure for a ceasefire.

However, the secret meeting suggests that there is a growing understanding within the Israeli government of the need for a realistic plan for how Gaza should be governed after the war.

This comes after the UAE said last week it was prepared to send troops to Gaza as part of a multinational “stabilization mission” after the war ends.

Comments by Lana Nusseibeh, special envoy to the UAE Foreign Ministry, the day before the meeting indicated that the Gulf state was prepared to be the first country to send troops to the ground following the Israeli offensive, provided strict conditions were met.

“The UAE could consider becoming part of the stabilization forces, together with Arab and international partners… at the invitation of a reformed PA, or a PA led by a competent prime minister,” Nusseibeh said.

She added that “the United States must take the lead in this to make it work.”

Nusseibeh further said that Abu Dhabi had and continued to have discussions with all relevant parties in the region “the day after.”

The development comes from the West, the Arab states and China are trying to come up with a feasible plan for Gaza after the war and are presenting themselves as the mediators in a possible deal.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday received in Beijing senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuk, Fatah envoy Mahmud al-Aloul and envoys from 12 other Palestinian groups.

He said they had agreed to establish an “interim government of national reconciliation” to govern Gaza after the war, with support from China.

“Today we sign an agreement on national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity.

“We are committed to national unity and call for it,” Abu Marzuk said after meeting with Wang and the other envoys.

The war, which has been raging for nine months, was sparked by Hamas’s October attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures.

The militants also captured 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza. According to the Israeli military, 44 are dead.

More than 39,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza, according to data from the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

China is trying to play a mediating role in the conflict, which has been further complicated by the intense rivalry between Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Fatah, which partly controls the occupied West Bank.

According to Wang, China wants to “play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East.”

He also called for a “comprehensive, lasting and sustainable ceasefire” and for efforts to promote Palestinian self-governance and full recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN.

But in a new display of discord between the warring sides, and a sign that the deal is unlikely to have major consequences anytime soon, Israel quickly condemned the deal.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Abbas for his cooperation with Hamas. On X he wrote: ‘Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement in China for joint control of Gaza after the war.

‘Instead of rejecting terrorism, Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas and shows his true face.

“In reality, this will not happen, because Hamas’s rule will be crushed and Abbas will watch Gaza from a distance. Israel’s security will remain exclusively in Israeli hands,” he added.

Hamas and Fatah have been bitter rivals since Hamas fighters drove Fatah out of the Gaza Strip after deadly fighting that followed Hamas’s resounding election victory in 2006.

Fatah controls the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control over the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Several attempts at reconciliation have failed, but since the Hamas attack in October and the nine-month war in Gaza, calls for reconciliation have increased. Violence has also increased in the West Bank, where Fatah has its headquarters.

China hosted Fatah and Hamas in April, but the meeting planned for June was postponed.

China has had a positive attitude towards the Palestinian cause for centuries and supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

China presents itself as a more neutral player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than its rival the United States. China advocates a two-state solution while maintaining good relations with Israel.