As the Gaza ceasefire moves forward, there are reports that Hamas would like to see its police integrated into whatever type of new force emerges. This idea would seem to be an obvious non-starter for how to proceed in Gaza, especially as Israel and the Trump administration want Hamas to be disarmed.
The question, therefore, is what is the reason for the latest report about the police and what might be the best path forward.
Reuters reported on January 27 that Hamas is hoping to see around 10,000 of its existing police officers incorporated into a new force. The report suggested that Hamas floated this idea during meetings in Turkey this week.
Turkey has supported the ceasefire and has been invited to have key seats at the table in US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and also on Gaza’s Executive Board. Israel has opposed Turkey’s role.
The issue of the Hamas police has always been controversial in Gaza. Many international organizations have seen the police as a stabilizing factor that brings law and order to Gaza. They basically see the police as a civil society organization and not as part of the Hamas “armed wing” that is waging the war. This portrays the Hamas police as if they are not primarily Hamas members, but civilian law enforcers.
In recent decades in which Israel has fought wars with Hamas, there have also been questions in Israel about whether the police should be targeted in war, or whether they should basically be permitted to go about their work, with their vehicles and even uniforms. When Israel began Operation Cast Lead on December 27, 2008, it began with strikes on police cadets in Gaza, in which dozens were killed.
Qatari cash transfers used to pay Gaza police
During the years before October 7 the issue of the police in Gaza continued. For instance, the money transferred by Qatar over the years, cash transfers coordinated with and approved by Israel, went to pay civil servants in Gaza. In 2018 Daily Sabah, a Turkish newspaper, reported that Doha would be sending $90 million in $15 million installments over six months to Gaza. This was just one of many transfers over the years that continued until October 7. The report said “Qatar’s official news agency said the wealthy Gulf state’s donation would benefit 27,000 civil servants.” The report also appeared to suggest this would help pay the police because one policeman was quoted as saying he could now buy things for his family.
“This is one of the fruits of the ‘March of Return’,” Ibrahim Bakker, a police officer said. He referred to Hamas-backed protests that took place in 2018. He had received a full salary due to the new cash transfer, the report said.
The question regarding the Hamas police is going to be to what degree they can be vetted or examined as to their terror support and affiliations. In addition, any talk of disarmament is going to have to come up against the question of what light arms the police may carry. The likely option in Gaza is that police will need to be recruited. This could mean trying to find supporters of the Palestinian Authority or civilians not affiliated with Hamas in Gaza. Many Gazans oppose Hamas, but their number is unclear. There are also Fatah activists and other political parties in Gaza.
The challenge of training the police is going to likely fall on Egypt or helpful European powers such as Italy. Funding and support may come from the Gulf. In December reports said that Egypt and European countries were already trying to support Palestinian police who could be deployed to Gaza. A report said that Gaza had around 5,000-10,000 police before October 7. The PA has apparently been supportive of this initiative by Egypt. It appears that hundreds of police have already been trained. In November, European Union officials had said they could train around 3,000 police officers for Gaza. This means, between EU support, the PA and Egypt, a force could be formed.
The EU already supports the Palestinian police in the West Bank via the EUPOL COPPS program. There is also a US program that has trained Palestinian Security Forces in the West Bank. The US Security Coordinator in the West Bank. Lt.-Gen. Mike Fenzel has held this role since 2021. The White House said this month that “to establish security, preserve peace, and establish a durable terror-free environment, Maj.-Gen. Jasper Jeffers has been appointed Commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), where he will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials.” It’s likely that whatever police force emerges in Gaza, it will need to coordinate with Jeffers as well as the Board of Peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov, and many other players.
The goal of Hamas and some countries that have had decent ties with Hamas, such as Qatar and Turkey, may be to try to enable some of the former Hamas police or Hamas civil servants to become part of the new administration in Gaza. Israel is likely going to oppose this. Finding a path forward via Egypt, the EU and others will be important.
Gaza has a new technical committee and it is going to need the roughly 30,000 civil servants it has had historically to administer a place where 2 million people live. Some 10,000 police are likely a key to this arrangement.