Israel Approves International Stabilization Force for Gaza
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- Israel's security Cabinet approved on July 26 the legal framework allowing the 'International Stabilization Force' to enter Gaza, with 200 members from countries including Uganda and Morocco deploying in areas not under Israeli control.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to depart for Washington on July 27 and meet Trump on July 28, a day after the Cabinet decision.
- The International Stabilization Force deployment timeline was not specified, and each national contingent requires individual Israeli approval to enter Gaza.
- Hamas has refused to disarm since the October ceasefire deal, leaving the plan's core demilitarization condition unmet.
- Israel controls an estimated 64% of Gaza and has said it will expand its area of control to 70%, while continuing almost daily military strikes in the enclave.
- Trump's peace plan also envisioned a Board of Peace as an overarching international authority overseeing the security force, with Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov welcoming the Israeli decision on X.
- The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza — the Palestinian technocrats tasked with civilian governance — has remained outside Gaza since the plan was struck.
Why it matters: The 200-member force can only deploy in the ~30% of Gaza not under Israeli control, and Israel has said it will expand its zone to 70%. With Hamas refusing to disarm and the Palestinian technocrat administration still stuck outside Gaza, this diplomatic milestone lands in a vacuum where none of the plan's other pillars have materialized.
