Israel has approved the legal framework to allow an international security force to enter Gaza as part of President Donald Trump’s proposed ceasefire and postwar plan, according to an Israeli official. The move comes just one day before Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu departs for Washington for high-level meetings with the president.
The Israeli official said Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet voted Sunday to authorize the legal mechanism needed for the deployment of the multinational force. Netanyahu is scheduled to leave for the United States on Monday and is expected to meet with President Trump on Tuesday.
According to the official, the mission—known as the International Stabilization Force—will consist of approximately 200 personnel drawn from what were described as “friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco.” The troops will operate only in areas outside direct Israeli control, and each participating country’s deployment will require Israel’s individual approval before entering Gaza.
The official did not indicate when the force is expected to begin operating inside the enclave.
Large portions of Gaza remain devastated following nearly two years of war that began after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Following the ceasefire agreement reached in October, President Trump unveiled a broader peace proposal for Gaza that called for a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance, governance by Palestinian civilian technocrats, Hamas to surrender its weapons, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Implementation of that framework has largely stalled. The proposed civilian governing body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, has yet to establish a presence inside the territory.
Israel currently maintains effective control over roughly 64% of Gaza, while nearly all of the enclave’s approximately two million residents remain concentrated in a narrow coastal area still controlled by Hamas. Many continue to live in temporary tents or damaged buildings under difficult humanitarian conditions.
Hamas has continued to reject demands that it disarm, while Israel has announced plans to increase the territory under its control to approximately 70% of Gaza as military operations and near-daily strikes continue.
Trump’s proposal also envisions the creation of a Board of Peace that would serve as the international body responsible for overseeing implementation of the overall peace plan, including supervision of the International Stabilization Force.
Earlier this month, an official with the Board of Peace said the organization is preparing a pilot humanitarian zone inside Gaza in an effort to advance the president’s broader plan for the territory.
Nickolay Mladenov, President Trump’s envoy to Gaza for the Board of Peace, praised Israel’s decision to approve the multinational deployment.
“It is a critical part of the agreed framework for stabilizing Gaza, supporting demilitarization, and enabling the transition to effective Palestinian transitional administration under the @NCAG,” he wrote on X, referring to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
{Matzav.com}