Israel has reportedly withheld permission for contractors and construction equipment to enter Gaza to build an outpost for an international stabilization force under President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative.

The delay could hold up the deployment of international troops and broader reconstruction efforts. However, the peace framework calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons before subsequent stages proceed, a condition the terrorist organization has consistently rejected.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the project, the Board of Peace awarded the construction contract in early August to Louisiana-based Arkel International. More than two months later, work has not begun because the company has not received Israeli authorization to bring personnel and equipment into Gaza.

The planned fortified installation would accommodate approximately 150 heavily armed international troops at a time, rotating from a larger contingent of 500 personnel dispatched from Morocco and Kosovo.

Described as a temporary mission support outpost, the base would cover approximately 100 by 100 meters. The proposed site was previously associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the now-defunct U.S.-backed aid initiative that operated in Gaza between May and October 2025.

The source argued that deploying the stabilization force was necessary before reconstruction teams could safely deliver equipment, install utilities, or establish basic facilities.

Representatives of the Board of Peace declined to address the report. The Israeli government and the IDF also declined to comment.

The Trump-chaired body, authorized by the United Nations in 2025, was established following the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire. Twenty-eight countries joined as founding members earlier this year, although numerous Western democracies declined to participate.

On September 23, the board announced a proposed six-month reconstruction program valued at $2.45 billion. That initiative was presented as the first phase of a broader redevelopment effort projected to cost approximately $71 billion over a decade.

Separately, Israel reportedly approved the upcoming entry of an American company working for the board to identify and map locations where Hamas members could surrender weapons for destruction.

Under the framework, Hamas’s disarmament is supposed to precede further steps, including a gradual Israeli withdrawal. Israel would withdraw only from areas cleared of terrorists, which would then be transferred to a technocratic administration.

Hamas has continued to refuse to relinquish its weapons.

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