Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a joint press conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Cairo, Egypt March 1, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

i24 News – Cairo has launched a major initiative to train Palestinian police officers who are expected to join a future security force in Gaza once the ongoing conflict concludes.

The program was first announced last summer by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

The training began with an initial cohort of more than 500 officers in March, and resumed in September with new groups. The program aims to prepare a total of 5,000 police officers, all from Gaza, with funding provided by the Palestinian Authority.

“We aspire to a definitive end to the fighting and hope to serve our homeland and fellow citizens,” said a 26-year-old trainee, expressing satisfaction with the program. He added that the goal is to establish a security force “autonomous, loyal only to Palestine, and free from external influence.”

An anonymous Palestinian lieutenant, who left Gaza with his family in 2024, described the program as offering “high-level operational training, with modern equipment for border control.” The curriculum also covers the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas offensive and its implications for the Palestinian cause.

The training emphasizes the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and reinforces the aim of building an independent Palestinian state.

A senior Palestinian Authority official confirmed that President Mahmoud Abbas instructed Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Reeh to coordinate with Egypt in establishing these security units for Gaza.

As part of broader reconciliation efforts, Palestinian factions—including Hamas and Fatah, agreed in late 2024 under Egyptian mediation to create a 10,000-strong police force. Half of the officers will be trained by Egypt, and the other half drawn from Gaza’s police ranks, which have been under Hamas control since 2007.

The force is planned to operate under a technocratic committee approved by all Palestinian movements, tasked with administering Gaza post-conflict. A Hamas official told AFP that the organization supports the security and governance arrangements agreed upon during the talks.