UAE says it has discussed a potential role in postwar Gaza, but conditions remain unmet
By Mostafa Salem and Tareq Al Hilou, CNN
(CNN) — The United Arab Emirates has been in discussions about the possibility of playing a role in postwar efforts to rebuild Gaza, but its conditions for doing so have yet to be met, a UAE official told CNN.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has touted the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries as potential partners to help govern the territory after the war, but the UAE had previously said that it would refuse “to be drawn into any plan aimed at providing cover for the Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip.”
“While there have been many informal conversations taking place, parties involved have not aligned with the UAE preconditions for its involvement in any postwar effort in Gaza,” the UAE official told CNN on Tuesday.
The official was responding to a report by the Reuters news agency that behind-the-scenes discussions between the UAE, Israel and the United States included the possibility of the UAE, the US and other nations temporarily overseeing governance, security and reconstruction of Gaza after the war.
The UAE official told CNN its preconditions include a formal invitation from a “new, credible, independent” Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister, “a serious reform process” in the PA, “an explicit commitment to the two-state solution” from Israel, and a “clear leadership role by the US.”
The UAE has long advocated for reforms within the PA, which is widely perceived as plagued by corruption, and has called for a change in its leadership. Mohammed Mustafa was sworn in as the PA’s prime minister in March, succeeding Mohammed Shtayyeh, who resigned in February.
Israeli officials have publicly rejected the possibility of the West Bank-based PA playing a role in postwar Gaza.
Reuters also reported, citing diplomats and Western officials, that UAE officials had suggested the use of private military contractors as part of a peacekeeping force in Gaza. The UAE official who spoke to CNN refuted this.
UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The Israeli foreign ministry said the two were set to discuss regional developments and bilateral relations. Emirati state news agency WAM said the two ministers discussed the “escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip” and regional and international efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire.
The UAE normalized relations with Israel in a 2020 agreement known as the Abraham Accords, and has maintained relations with it over the course of the Gaza war.
Deadly strikes continue
As talks about the post-war governance of Gaza continue, so do Israeli attacks across the enclave.
Dozens of people across Gaza were killed on Tuesday, according to Palestinian authorities. At least seven were killed in strikes across refugee camps in central Gaza, at least eight in the Gaza City area, another five in northern Gaza’s Jabalya area, and at least 20 – including nine children – in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis area.
CNN stringer video from the Al Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza shows people digging through rubble that covers the ground in front of destroyed buildings and in bedrooms with missing walls.
Resident Lamees Abu Al-Rouz told CNN she was asleep when the strike hit, and that a concrete slab had fallen on her.
“I started screaming for someone to come and help me, because this cement slab was on my forehead, and I was bleeding a lot. They took me to the hospital and gave me three stiches. Because of the heavy rubble I could not move and as you can see the house is destroyed,” she said, pointing to the damaged wall and rubble behind her.
CNN stringer footage of the aftermath in Khan Younis shows rescue crews digging through blood-stained rubble.
“We came to see what happened to our neighbors, only to find that all the martyrs are children – little girls. We carried their remains, little girls covered in blood,” resident Hamed Abu Al Kas told CNN.
Yahya Sajour, 7, told CNN, “I saw so many martyrs torn apart and lifeless; men were carrying them.”
“When I hear bombardments, I always think that my siblings have died. I wish the war would end,” the child said.
The Israeli military said it had struck Khan Younis on Tuesday evening, targeting militants who took part in the October 7, 2023, attacks, and that it took steps to mitigate the risk of civilian harm. CNN has asked it for comment on the other strikes.
Gaza’s health ministry said Israeli attacks had killed at least 45,885 people since October 7, 2023, as of Tuesday. The ministry reiterated the strain hospitals in Gaza are under, with vital supplies like oxygen stations, medicine storage refrigerators and fuel for generators all severely impacted.
Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Lauren Izso and Hira Humayun contributed to this report.
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A previous version of this story cited the UAE official as saying the discussions were being held with the US and Israel in the lede. That has been corrected.
