US military planning for divided Gaza with ‘green zone' secured by international, Israeli troops

The US is planning for the long-term division of Gaza into a "green zone" under Israeli and international military control, where reconstruction would start, and a "red zone" to be left in ruins, Report informs referring to The Guardian.

Foreign forces will initially deploy alongside Israeli soldiers in the east of Gaza, leaving the devastated strip divided by the current Israeli-controlled "yellow line", according to US military planning documents seen by the Guardian and sources briefed on American plans.

"Ideally you would want to make it all whole, right? But that"s aspirational," said a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It's going to take some time. It's not going to be easy."

The US military plans raise serious questions about Washington's commitment to turning the ceasefire announced last month into an enduring political settlement with Palestinian rule across Gaza, which was promised by Donald Trump.

Plans for Gaza's future have been shifting at a dizzying rate, reflecting a chaotic, improvised approach to resolving one of the world's most complex and intractable conflicts and providing aid including food and shelter to 2 million Palestinians.

After weeks in which the US promoted reconstruction in the form of fenced-in camps for small groups of Palestinians, referred to as "alternative safe communities" (ASC), those plans were dropped this week, the US official said.

"That's a snapshot of a concept that was put forth at a certain time," the US official said. "They've already moved on from that."

Humanitarian organisations who have repeatedly raised major concerns about the ASC model said on Friday they had yet to be notified of the change of plans.

Without a workable plan for an international peacekeeping force, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and large-scale rebuilding, Gaza risks slipping into limbo after two years of devastating war.

Mediators have warned of a situation that is "not war but not peace" in a divided Gaza, with regular Israeli attacks, an entrenched occupation, no Palestinian self-rule and limited reconstruction of Palestinian homes and communities.

The creation of an international stabilisation force (ISF) underpins Trump's 20-point "peace plan". The US hopes a draft UN security council resolution giving the force a formal mandate will pass early next week and expects firm details of troop commitments to follow.

"The first step is we have to get the [resolution]," the US official said. "Countries are not going to make firm commitments until they actually see the language that has been passed."

Trump has ruled out putting any US soldiers on the ground to pave the way for an Israeli withdrawal, or funding reconstruction. "The US has been very clear they want to set the vision and not pay for it," said one diplomatic source.