The deployment of an “International Stabilization Force” to the Gaza Strip, as envisioned by President Trump’s ceasefire plan, has struggled to get off the ground as countries initially willing to commit troops are backing out, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.
“Commitments are being considered. No one is going to send troops from their country without understanding the specifics of the mission,” a US official told the Post.
The report said that the main concern is that troops in the ISF would be put in a position where they have to use force against Palestinians. Indonesia previously said it was willing to deploy 20,000 troops, but Indonesian officials have walked that back, saying that the number represents Jakarta’s entire peacekeeping capacity, not what it would commit to Gaza.
An Indonesian Foreign Ministry official told the Post that Indonesia would be willing to send 1,200, but added that some officers are “really hesitant” to deploy to Gaza over concerns that it would turn into armed conflict against Palestinians.
Other countries that have said they’re willing to send troops include Azerbaijan and Pakistan, but they have expressed skepticism about the plan. According to a report from Reuters, Azerbaijan is only willing to send troops if there’s a complete halt to military action in the Strip, and Israel continues to launch attacks against Palestinians.
Pakistan said on Sunday that it would be willing to send troops to commit to a peacekeeping force but not if its soldiers had to disarm Hamas. “If the purpose of deploying an international stabilization force in Palestine is to disarm Hamas, then we are not ready for that, that’s not our job,” said Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, according to The Cradle.
The original US proposal for a Gaza peace plan said that the US would work with “Arab and international partners” to develop the ISF, but so far, no Arab countries have committed to providing troops, and they do not seem on board with the plan amid the uncertainty over what the mission would look like.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council passed a resolution placing Gaza under the governance of the so-called “Board of Peace,” which will be led by President Trump. But since the resolution has been passed, there have been been no announcements on the formation of the board, which is meant to oversee the ISF.
In the meantime, the Israeli military continues to occupy more than 50% of Gaza and regularly launches attacks, which have killed more than 350 Palestinians since the ceasefire was supposed to go into effect. The Trump administration is pushing a plan to allow reconstruction only in the Israeli-controlled side of Gaza, which could solidify the occupation.
