ISRAELI OCCUPIED AND STARVED GAZA, 24 Oct. - (ANA) - Plans under consideration by the US to divide Gaza between Israeli and Palestinian zones have prompted concerns among Arab states that the plan could lead to a permanent Israeli occupation in Gaza.

 

The plans, outlined by US Vice President JD Vance and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner during a news conference on Tuesday, would see reconstruction begin in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza for Palestinians, while Hamas-controlled areas would be barred from efforts.

 

Kushner is believed to be the driving force of the plan, according to the Wall Street Journal, who, alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, got support from Trump and Vance for the plan.

 

It is unknown if, or how, Palestinians would move to the area; however, and how services would be provided to Palestinians.

 

Officials told the WSJ that the plan was being considered before the ceasefire, to act as a symbol of a post-Hamas Gaza.

 

Arab states are strongly opposed to the plan over fears it could lead to a permanent Israeli occupation of Gaza, the report added, and are said to be unlikely to commit troops to a peacekeeping force in the enclave, as stipulated in the ceasefire deal.

 

As mediators negotiate on the details of a post-war Gaza plan, Gaza still remains in ruin, with the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) saying that 61 million tons of debris cover Gaza.

 

"Entire neighbourhoods have been erased, and families search the ruins for water, for shelter," UNRWA said in a post on X, adding "UNRWA's humanitarian aid remains blocked, but our teams continue to deliver lifesaving assistance."

 

A ruling from the International Court of Justice on Wednesday said that Israel must allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and rejected its claims that a significant portion of UNRWA's employees are affiliated with Hamas.

 

Israel rejected the verdict, with support from the US.

 

UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA) said it was progressing in its scaling up of aid delivery into Gaza, even as Israel stifles aid entry into the enclave.

 

"However, the continued closure of the Zikim and Erez crossings, which provide direct access to the north, make it extremely challenging for humanitarians to reach people there with vital support at he scale needed," OCHA said in a report issued on Wednesday.

 

As well as registering the movement of 425,000 people from the south of the enclave back to the north, OCHA said that its aid distribution has reached over 107,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five in a bid to prevent malnutrition.

 

Chief of the UN's World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that 41 patients alongside 145 companions had been evacuated from Gaza for treatment.

 

"Around 15,000 patients are still waiting for approval to receive medical care outside Gaza," Ghebreyesus said, adding, "We continue to call on countries to show their solidarity and for all routes to be opened to expedite the medical evacuation."   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/24 October 2025 - - -