Israel approves Gaza stabilization force under Trump deal
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- Israel's security cabinet approved the International Stabilization Force (ISF) as part of Trump's 20-point peace plan, with the force to operate "in full coordination with" the Israeli military and no deployment timeframe given.
- The ISF will include 200 personnel from "friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco," with Israel retaining authority to approve which nations can contribute forces.
- Israel currently occupies close to 70% of Gaza and the ISF will operate only in the remaining areas, while Israel retains control over who enters the strip and how much aid and food flows in.
- The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports 1,200 Palestinians killed and 3,888 wounded since the October ceasefire was implemented, with killings by the Israeli military occurring "almost daily."
- Nickolay Mladenov, director-general of the Gaza Board of Peace—which the vast majority of Western countries refused to join—called the approval "a critical part of the agreed framework for stabilising Gaza."
- Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington, DC the day after the cabinet's approval, as the 20-point plan also calls for Hamas disarmament, an Israeli withdrawal, and a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza technocratic body.
Why it matters: Israel retains veto power over which countries contribute troops while still occupying 70% of Gaza, and the oversight board overseeing the strip was rejected by most Western nations. With 1,200 Palestinians killed since the October ceasefire and daily killings continuing, the "stabilization" framing is undermined by the ongoing military control the article itself documents.
