Egypt Trains Palestinian Authority Forces to Govern Post-War Gaza

Egypt has been quietly training PA security forces for months to prepare them to govern the Gaza Strip after the war, security and diplomatic sources told Middle East Eye. Around 300 PA personnel — including police, national security, preventive security, and intelligence officers — have been trained in Cairo since April, with additional smaller groups trained in Jordan. All trainees are reportedly loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, avoiding affiliates of rival Palestinian leader Mohammed Dahlan to maintain Ramallah’s approval and secure potential Saudi support.

Cairo’s Post-War Reconstruction Plan

The training program is part of Egypt’s broader plan, presented at the March Arab Summit, to re-establish PA governance in Gaza with regional and international backing. The plan proposes deploying trained Palestinian police alongside potential UN peacekeeping forces in Gaza and the West Bank within a timetable aimed at building the institutions of a future Palestinian state.

However, the plan has not received funding or political support from key Gulf states, which have conditioned their involvement on Hamas disarming and withdrawing from Gaza. Under UAE and Saudi pressure, Egypt has aligned with regional demands linking disarmament to reconstruction — a position consistent with Israeli and U.S. preconditions for ending the war.

Security and Political Hurdles

Analysts warn that the plan is currently unworkable given the ongoing war, the survival of Hamas and other armed factions, and Israel’s declared policy to occupy Gaza. Egyptian officials see deepening Cairo’s security role in Gaza as vital for national security and regional influence, but acknowledge it hinges on a post-war settlement that removes armed resistance from the strip.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty has said the goal is to “create a suitable climate” for a contiguous Palestinian state and empower the PA to govern both Gaza and the West Bank ahead of renewed political negotiations.