According to international media, the United States is planning to build about 25,000 housing units on the Israeli side of Gaza, as part of a project called “Alternative Safe Communities.” The project, which is expected to be built on Palestinian-owned land, has drawn criticism as it could reinforce the permanent division of Gaza into two zones — one under Israeli control and one under Hamas.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Knesset has approved in first reading the law on the death penalty for terrorists, which Hamas has described as a "racist and criminal act" and has requested the intervention of the international community.
The Houthi movement in Yemen has announced a halt to attacks against Israel and ships in the Red Sea, due to the ceasefire in Gaza, but has warned that it will resume them if Israel resumes the offensive.
According to Israeli sources, the US is also planning to set up a large military base in Israel, near the Gaza border, to house international forces that will monitor the ceasefire. The base could cost around $500 million and marks Washington's more direct involvement in the conflict.
On the ground, the risk of de facto partition of Gaza is increasingly apparent, while the reconstruction of the area appears to be limited to the Israeli-controlled part.
In another regional development, the Lebanese army has strengthened its presence on the border with Syria after clashes between Syrian forces and ISIS militants. Meanwhile, in Syria, interim president Ahmad Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda member, was welcomed to the White House by Donald Trump, marking a US rapprochement with Damascus in the "war on terror."
