The Emirati news site The National reported Monday, citing its own sources, that Egypt is expected to lead a four-nation international force in Gaza comprising at least 4,000 troops from Egypt, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Indonesia.
Against this backdrop, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told The National that Egypt is pushing for a UN Security Council resolution on the matter "as soon as possible."
In an interview, he outlined the general framework of the international force and the mandate that a "peace council" would receive to oversee aid funding. However, he stressed that it would be unacceptable for foreign actors to administer Gaza, saying that the task force should only provide support for Palestinians to manage their own affairs.
"First, we need a Security Council resolution to adopt this plan as early as possible and to give legitimacy to the international force," Abdelatty said, noting that it was essential to define the mission's scope and objectives. "This is very important. Egypt is ready to participate in any framework, but under certain parameters."
Earlier Monday, Egypt's Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Cairo opposes Israel's vision of maintaining an IDF presence in Gaza. In this context, the report said Egypt is coordinating with France and Britain to promote a Security Council resolution on the rapid deployment of international forces in the enclave. Sources estimated that an agreement on the resolution's wording could be reached within days to prevent the collapse of the ceasefire deal.
