Israel pushes off Gaza reconstruction until after election – report

Netanyahu reportedly delays implementation of Gaza reconstruction plans until after Israeli election.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the postponement until after Israel’s Oct. 27 election of a series of measures intended to advance the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and replace Hamas’s governing institutions, according to a report published Sunday by Israel Hayom.

The Prime Minister’s Office denied that the delays were election-related, insisting that reconstruction cannot proceed until Hamas is disarmed.

The stalled initiatives include the training of thousands of Palestinian police officers in Egypt, preparations for rebuilding Rafah, the deployment of an international stabilization force and the entry into Gaza of a Palestinian technocratic administration intended to replace Hamas.

According to Israel Hayom, Israel’s Shin Bet security agency recently completed background checks on between 5,000 and 7,000 prospective Palestinian police officers whose names were submitted by the US-backed Board of Peace, which oversees implementation of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

Despite receiving security clearance, the recruits have not been permitted to leave Gaza to undergo training in Egypt, reportedly following instructions from Netanyahu.

Sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the delays resulted from a succession of decisions made by Israel’s political leadership over recent weeks, rather than a single order suspending the reconstruction process.

One source said Netanyahu had instructed officials to defer numerous Gaza-related initiatives until after the election, even though Israel would eventually be required to approve them under the US-brokered agreement.

The Prime Minister’s Office rejected the suggestion that electoral considerations were responsible.

“The prime minister is not allowing this, regardless of the elections,” it said.

The statement accused Hamas of repeatedly violating Trump’s 20-point peace plan following the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, and insisted that neither reconstruction nor the establishment of a new Palestinian police force would be authorized until Hamas surrendered its weapons and Gaza was completely demilitarized.

The report follows months of disagreements between Israeli officials and the Board of Peace over the pace of implementing the US-sponsored arrangements for Gaza.

In September, two Board of Peace officials told The Times of Israel that approximately 16,500 Palestinians had passed Israeli security screening for the proposed police force, out of roughly 283,000 applicants. The recruits nevertheless remained unable to begin training outside the Strip.

The officials argued that blocking the creation of an alternative security force was allowing Hamas to preserve its authority over Gaza’s population.

“The holdup actually prolongs the existence in Gaza of Hamas police armed with AK-47s,” one official said.

The proposed Palestinian administration, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, was established in January under Ali Shaath and includes approximately 15 other technocrats. It is intended to assume responsibility for civilian governance as Hamas relinquishes control.

The committee has already developed plans for restoring essential services, clearing rubble and rehabilitating infrastructure, but implementation requires Israeli cooperation.

In September, the Board of Peace unveiled a $2.45 billion, six-month recovery program encompassing 66 projects, including temporary housing, hospital repairs, economic recovery and the deployment of multinational security personnel.

“For the next year, we move from preparation to implementation,” former British prime minister Tony Blair, a senior Board of Peace envoy, declared at the initiative’s unveiling.

However, the project has made little progress on the ground, with international officials increasingly acknowledging that political disagreements, rather than a shortage of reconstruction proposals, represent a central obstacle.

Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported that Board of Peace officials were anticipating more substantial progress after Israel’s election and the US midterm elections in November.

Israeli military officials reportedly believe Hamas is preparing for future attacks, while the IDF’s Southern Command continues planning for the possibility of renewed large-scale fighting.

Board of PeaceGaza reconstruction