The Shin Bet security agency recently cleared the names of between 5,000 and 7,000 Palestinians for training in Egypt as part of a new Palestinian police force intended to operate in the Gaza Strip. However, Israel Hayom has learned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed officials in recent days to postpone their departure until after the elections.
The Shin Bet's role was limited to conducting security background checks on names submitted by the Board of Peace, the international body established to oversee implementation of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.
Netanyahu's decision to delay the Palestinians' departure for training in Egypt is part of a broader series of measures that Israel's political leadership has postponed until after the elections. These include preparations for the reconstruction of Rafah, including the construction of a new city, the deployment of a multinational force and the entry into Gaza of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), established in January under Dr. Ali Shaath and comprising approximately 15 other technocrats.
Several sources familiar with the details confirmed the developments to Israel Hayom. They said instructions to delay Gaza reconstruction initiatives had been issued one after another by the political leadership in recent weeks, rather than through a single explicit directive to suspend the process. The general message was that the measures would move forward after the elections.
The delays appear to reflect the political difficulties Netanyahu would face at this stage from advancing Gaza reconstruction and allowing Palestinians from the Strip to undergo training in Egypt.
"Netanyahu asked for a delay until after the elections"
The measures planned for Rafah's reconstruction, including the establishment of an armed Palestinian police force to be trained in Egypt and the creation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, are among the terms of the agreement imposed on Israel as part of the deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages a little over a year ago.
"Netanyahu has halted a great many initiatives concerning the Gaza Strip in recent weeks and postponed them until after the elections," a source familiar with the details acknowledged. "Hamas is not disarming, and yet Israel will still be required to approve these measures. The only reason they are not moving forward now is that Netanyahu asked for a delay until after the elections."
In practice, sources familiar with the situation say the delay in establishing the new NCAG police force is prolonging the presence of armed Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Hamas continues to function as the dominant force in the Strip, rebuilding its capabilities and imposing its authority on the civilian population.
Compounding the problem is the "tax" Hamas collects from the 600 trucks entering Gaza each day, a volume the sources describe as disproportionate to the actual needs of the Strip's residents. In practice, this provides Hamas with enormous sums of money every day.
The IDF's Southern Command is preparing for a range of potential Hamas attacks, based on the assessment that the terrorist organization is far from idle and intends to resume operations against Israel at some point.
Senior IDF officers have repeatedly said that a return to fighting in Gaza will eventually be unavoidable. For now, however, the US administration believes efforts to implement the agreement should continue, even though no solution has been found to the issue that most concerns Israel: the demilitarization of Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.
There is a consensus among Israel's senior leadership that no party other than Israel is willing or capable of disarming Hamas. Nevertheless, Israel is currently compelled to operate within the framework set by Washington, even as the IDF carries out strikes in Gaza almost daily, killing terrorists who have resumed terrorist activity and others involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
In this case, the Shin Bet is merely acting as a conduit, responsible for approving or rejecting the names submitted to it on security grounds. The instruction to halt the process came directly from the political leadership in recent days.
The Shin Bet declined to comment on the report.
The Prime Minister's Office said in response: "The prime minister is not allowing this, regardless of the elections. Since the release of all the hostages, Hamas has systematically violated President Trump's 20-point plan. The prime minister has therefore made it clear that there will be no reconstruction and no police force in Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed and the entire Strip is demilitarized."
