Testimonies from Gaza Expose UAE Soldiers’ Engagement in Combat alongside the Israeli Army

Testimonies from Palestinian civilians in Gaza have exposed the involvement of UAE soldiers in combat alongside the Israeli army, engaging in raiding and arresting operations, and even in acts of torture and killing in the sector undergoing an Israeli genocidal war for over a year.

The testimonies obtained by “Emirates Leaks” show that forces from the Israeli army, with the help of UAE soldiers, carry out arrest campaigns and interrogations, in addition to torture operations on the detainees.

According to one testimony, Israeli forces raided an evacuation school in the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza two days ago, arresting several people for interrogation and then deporting them to the west of Gaza.

Several detainees confirmed after their release that at least one soldier who interrogated them spoke Arabic with a clear Emirati accent while the tanks surrounding the shelter were flying the Israeli flag, with the UAE flag beneath it.

Local Palestinian sources report that more than 200 people from northern Gaza Strip have been arrested and assaulted in the past two days, and they were divided into groups of 10 men each to be interrogated by an Emirati soldier who speaks Arabic.

While Israel finds itself regionally and internationally ostracized for the massacres it commits in Palestine and Lebanon, the UAE aligns with Tel Aviv in preparing the “Gaza Post-War Plan” aimed at entrenching the Israeli vision.

American officials revealed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering a post-war plan in Gaza based on ideas developed by Israel and the UAE, set to be presented after the presidential elections, according to the American site Axios.

Axios reported that many officials in the White House and the State Department are concerned that the plan could lead to the marginalization of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his government, which Israel and the UAE are pushing towards in the short term.

With no agreement in sight for a prisoner exchange and a ceasefire in Gaza, presenting the “Day After” plan could potentially be a positive part of President Biden’s legacy surrounding the conflict.

Axios spoke with twelve American, Israeli, Palestinian, and Emirati officials familiar with the issue for this story.

U.S. officials say that some in the State Department, including Blinken, believe that reaching an agreement on prisoner exchange and ceasefire seems unlikely before the end of the Biden administration, and thus, the Israeli-Emirati plan is a “potential alternative plan” that could begin to outline a way out of the war.

However, other State Department officials say this idea is unwise and only serves the interests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and it is certain that Palestinians will reject it and it will fail.

U.S., Israeli, and Emirati officials said that the Biden administration, Israel, and the UAE have been discussing various ideas regarding potential plans for months.

Officials added that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also participated in the discussions and proposed some original ideas for the plan.

In July, President Biden’s Middle East advisor Brett McGurk and State Department advisor Tom Sullivan met in Abu Dhabi with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close associate of Netanyahu, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed to discuss this issue.

The day before this meeting, the Emiratis presented their proposal in an op-ed written by the special envoy for “Abu Dhabi Today,” Lana Nusseibeh.

The plan included deploying a temporary international mission in Gaza tasked with delivering humanitarian aid, enforcing law and order, and establishing the foundations of good governance.

The Emiratis proposed sending soldiers to Gaza as part of an international force, conditioned on receiving an official invitation from the Palestinian Authority after it undergoes “meaningful and led reforms by a new prime minister with authority and independence.”

In practice, the Emiratis wanted to marginalize Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whom they say is corrupt and incapable of performing his duties, and strip him of any executive power.

They also wanted to replace the current Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, whom they consider loyal to Abbas.

One of the principles of the Emirati plan was that it would rely on political leaders agreeing on a two-state solution vision for Israelis and Palestinians.

Israeli officials say Netanyahu liked many parts of the Emirati plan but opposed the more political aspects, especially involving the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and the vision of a two-state solution.

Officials said that discussions about the Israeli-Emirati plan received renewed momentum in recent weeks.

At the end of September, Dermer and Abbas separately met with Blinken, who is responsible for this issue within the Biden administration, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Officials said Abu Dhabi and Dermer asked Blinken to help them bridge the remaining gaps between Israel and the United Arab Emirates regarding the plan and then to ratify it—or even transform it into an American plan to be presented after the November elections.

A remaining gap relates to a new idea from the Emiratis that the plan includes reopening the American consulate in Jerusalem as a gesture to the Palestinians and a way to show that the United States is investing in and leading the process.

U.S. officials say the Israelis strongly oppose this idea, and Israelis still oppose any mention of a two-state solution.

But the main gap between Israel and the UAE concerns the precise role of the Palestinian Authority.

Emirati officials said the UAE wants the Palestinian Authority’s prime minister to appoint a Palestinian figure to help lead the transition process in Gaza.

U.S. and Israeli officials said Israelis would not consider any potential role for the Palestinian Authority except in the long term.

Senior U.S. State Department officials mentioned that if Blinken presents a plan, it would include ideas from Israel and the UAE as well as from the United States, aiming to gain broader regional consensus on the plan.

A U.S. State Department official stated, “We will not support the ‘Day After’ plan without a role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. The discussion about the form of this role is still ongoing.”