Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered that the Rafah Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt remain closed until further notice, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Saturday.
The crossing’s “reopening will be considered based on how Hamas fulfills its part in returning the bodies of the hostages and in implementing the agreed-upon framework,” the statement read.
The statement referred to Hamas’s violation of the ceasefire terms, which called for the immediate release of all hostages kept in Gaza, living and dead.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance are slated to visit Israel on Monday, to continue to oversee the implementation of Trump’s 20-point peace plan, Kan News reported.
Washington has asked the Jewish state not to take drastic measures against Hamas for its breach of terms, as the United States was applying pressure on the mediators of the agreement to solve the crisis.
The report further said that the international force entrusted with overseeing security and the implementation of the ceasefire inside Gaza is expected to officially begin operations next weekend.
Egypt is expected to lead the international force, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
The United States is advocating for the force to have a U.N. mandate that will permit it to act with similar powers given to international troops fighting armed gangs in Haiti, the report read.
Other troops from Turkey, Indonesia and Azerbaijan are expected to join the force.
European or British troops are not expected to be involved, but the U.K. is being consulted with regard to the implementation of the second stage of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the report continued.
A Palestinian force already trained by Britain will also take part in security efforts, but it will operate under the instructions of the international force.
The most difficult implementation of the Trump administration’s 20-point peace plan is the disarming of Hamas. The report stated that the process could begin with the terrorist group handing over its heavy weaponry and missile launchers, with the issue of personal weapons being deferred.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is a possible candidate to sit in the board entrusted with implementing the peace plan, overseeing the work of a 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats, according to the Guardian.
Clause nine in the 20-point peace plan stipulates that an international transitional body, named the “Board of Peace” and chaired by Trump, “will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program.”
