US officials have serious doubts about future of Gaza ceasefire, postwar plan

A graphic included in the presentation shows a question mark placed directly over the transition between the plan’s first and second phases, reflecting doubts about whether a proposed International Stabilization Force could ever be deployed.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Concerns are mounting within the Trump administration over whether the Gaza peace framework can hold, with internal documents circulated among U.S. officials pointing to deep uncertainty about how the agreement between Israel and Hamas will be executed, Politico reports.

The material was shared during a two-day gathering in southern Israel that brought together roughly 400 participants from U.S. Central Command, the Civil-Military Coordination Center established under the Oct. 10 ceasefire, and representatives from federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations. Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, the U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, led the sessions.

Slides presented at the event describe a series of unresolved questions about how the peace plan is supposed to move from the earliest steps — halting fighting, withdrawing Israeli forces to designated lines, and facilitating hostage returns — toward later political and security benchmarks.

A graphic included in the presentation shows a question mark placed directly over the transition between the plan’s first and second phases, reflecting doubts about whether a proposed International Stabilization Force could ever be deployed.

Documents reviewed by participants include assessments from U.S. agencies, situation reports on conditions inside Gaza and analyses produced by the Blair Institute, which has advised negotiators.

A foreign diplomat familiar with the meeting confirmed the documents’ authenticity, and a U.S. defense official said the material mirrors internal concerns held by senior planners.

The slides describe a daunting array of challenges: Israeli reluctance to withdraw further while Hamas attempts to reassert control; the Palestinian Authority’s pressure to shape developments in Gaza, despite Israeli objections; and uncertainty about whether regional partners will commit the resources needed to build new governing structures. One document warns that Gaza’s next governing body will require “long-term U.S. and international support,” including decades of assistance for police and security forces.

Another section outlines the scale of devastation following two years of war and notes that Hamas has redeployed roughly 7,000 terrorists across areas where Israel no longer maintains direct control.