Who Rules Gaza’s Rubble? The Battle to Rebuild After the Ceasefire

3 Narratives News | October 14, 2025

A truce built on swaps and promises runs into gunfire, rival crackdowns, and an unclear plan for security.

“Yesterday they waved white flags, today I hear shots,”

said a shopkeeper in northern Gaza by phone. “If this is peace, who is in charge of the streets?” The question sits at the center of a fragile ceasefire shaken by new killings on both sides.

Context

Days after a high-profile exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, the picture has darkened. Israel says troops fired on “suspects” near a pullback line inside Gaza, while Gaza’s health authorities report several Palestinians killed in separate incidents (Reuters). Hamas fighters and security units have reappeared in force, carrying out arrests and reported summary killings they describe as restoring “law and order” (Reuters).

Who runs Gaza during the transition remains unsettled. U.S. and regional mediators outline an Arab-led interim security mission with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan (CBS News). At the same time, President Donald Trump suggested Hamas could act as a police force “for a period of time,” adding confusion about roles and timing (ABC News).

Pressure tactics continue. Israel announced reductions in aid shipments over delays in returning the remains of hostages, a move criticized by aid groups and framed by Israeli officials as leverage for compliance (AP).

For more on the roadmap and its gaps, see explainers on the twenty-point plan and its risks (CFR; Reuters).

Narrative 1 — The Israeli View: “A Ceasefire, Not a Free Pass”

In this view, the ceasefire is real, the lines are set, and the rules are clear. Troops along the pullback line must stop infiltration and protect civilians returning to ruined neighbourhoods. When armed men approach the line and ignore warnings, the army fires. That is what happened today, the military says: men crossed into a restricted zone, advanced despite calls to stop, and were shot. The result is tragic, officials say, but needed to keep the truce from sliding into lawlessness (Reuters).

Hamas, in Israel’s telling, cannot be trusted with public security. It led the October 7, 2023, attack and has not agreed to disarm. Claims to “police” Gaza are seen as cover for re-arming. Reports of executions of alleged criminals and rivals are read as proof that, without a credible outside mission, “order” is just militant control by another name (Reuters).

Next steps, Israeli officials say, depend on facts on the ground. Further pullbacks require a non-Hamas force to take over street security, steady progress on all terms, and the return of hostage remains. If terms slip, Israel uses leverage, including aid slowdowns, to enforce compliance (AP). The expectation is that partners will stand up an Arab-led mission and vetted Palestinian police, and that any Hamas role is narrow and temporary (CBS News).

Narrative 2 — The Hamas View: “Security Is Our Duty Until Others Show Up”

In this view, Hamas is filling a vacuum. Looters, gangs, and gunmen surfaced as families returned. Fighters say they are stopping theft, directing traffic, and keeping people safe. Arrests and reported shootings are presented as responses to armed crime or collaboration, not revenge (Reuters).

On the deal’s security terms, Hamas leaders speak with care. They accept phase one and praise the swaps. They point to Trump’s remark that Hamas could police “for a period of time,” which they read as recognition of an interim role while talks continue (ABC News). They reject disarmament without a clear path to statehood and security guarantees. As for the latest shootings near the line, they blame Israel for breaking the spirit of the truce. Aid slowdowns, they say, punish civilians and prove Israel holds the daily levers (AP).

Narrative 3 — The Silent Story: Streets Without a Sheriff

Phase one focused on swaps, aid, and partial pullbacks. It did not settle who runs Gaza day to day — who sets the rules, who answers the phone, who shows up when there is a fight (Reuters). An Arab-led mission and newly trained Palestinian police are on paper (CBS News). They still need a clear mandate, logistics, pay, and trust from people who have lived through two years of war.

Civilians watch the street, not the communiqués. They see Israeli soldiers firing at men near a new line on a rough map (Reuters). They see Hamas units pull suspects from doorways and call it justice (Reuters). They feel it when aid slows because the dead are late to come home (AP). The ceasefire may hold on paper, but security is lived — a known officer, a working hotline, a fence everyone respects. Until the interim structure appears at scale, people are stuck between rival enforcers and a plan still becoming real.

What the Deal Actually Says About Law and Order

• Phase one leaves policing open. It covers swaps, a limited Israeli pullback, and more aid, while later security steps remain to be set (Reuters).
• Emerging blueprint: an Arab-led interim security force with Palestinian police trained by Egypt and Jordan, replacing Israeli troops as they deploy (CBS News).
• Ambiguity: Trump’s comment about Hamas policing “for a period of time” blurs lines on who does what, and when (ABC News).
• On the ground: Hamas enforces in parts of Gaza while Israel controls the perimeter, and civilians bear the risk (Reuters; Reuters).

Key Takeaways

• Gaza’s chain of command is unclear, which fuels clashes and crackdowns.
• The plan calls for an Arab-led force and vetted Palestinian police, but rollout lags daily needs.
• Hamas polices inside, Israel enforces at the lines, civilians are caught between them.
• Aid pressure linked to hostage remains adds strain to a thin truce.

FAQs

Who is supposed to enforce law and order in Gaza under the deal?

An Arab-led interim security force working with newly trained Palestinian police, with Israeli forces pulling back as they deploy.

Why are there shootings and reprisals if there is a ceasefire?

Because ground security is undefined. Rival actors enforce their own rules while the interim structure remains on paper.

Did the U.S. endorse Hamas policing Gaza?

Trump implied Hamas could police “for a period of time,” which Hamas highlights and Israel rejects.

Is the ceasefire still in effect?

Yes, but it is fragile. Incidents at the lines and aid pressure keep testing it.

What comes next?

Clarifying the mandate, makeup, and timing of the interim security mission, and settling who administers daily life in Gaza.

Further Reading

• Internal: Hope at Last: What Israel and Palestine Have to Celebrate (Oct 9, 2025)
• Internal: When Hope Meets Reality: The Jarring Dawn After Trump’s 20-Point Peace Deal (Oct 11, 2025)
• External: Details of the Gaza ceasefire agreement — Reuters
• External: Guide to Trump’s Twenty-Point Gaza Peace Deal — CFR