Israeli Cabinet approves international stabilization force for Gaza
Move clears way for force headquarters near Rafah under Trump's plan, as Israel keeps sole authority over which countries may take part and continues to hold 70% of Gaza
JERUSALEM (AA) — Israel’s Security Cabinet approved on Sunday the deployment of the International Stabilization Force in the Gaza Strip under US President Donald Trump’s plan, according to Israeli media.
The ISF is one of four bodies set up to administer Gaza under the plan, endorsed by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2803 on Nov. 17, 2025.
“The Cabinet approved the entry into the Gaza Strip of a multinational force affiliated with the Board of Peace,” Israel Hayom reported, and public broadcaster KAN said the decision effectively greenlights establishing a force headquarters near Rafah, in southern Gaza.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted against, arguing that because Hamas had not disarmed, Israel was not bound either, and claiming the answer in Gaza was to “encourage migration” — a phrase for the forced displacement of Palestinians. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar countered that this was an international plan and that Israel should not be the one to derail it.
The Board of Peace’s lead Gaza envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, welcomed the step on X, calling it a critical part of the framework for stabilizing and demilitarizing the enclave and enabling a transition to Palestinian administration, and urged focus on Trump’s 20-point plan.
The Israeli conditions attached to the approval are as significant as the approval itself. Channel 12, citing a political source, said forces would enter only areas outside the “Yellow Line” — the boundary drawn under the October 2025 ceasefire that separates zones the Israeli army has left from the roughly 70 percent of Gaza it still occupies — and that Israel alone decides which countries may send troops.
Yedioth Ahronoth, citing another source, said Israel intends to keep control of the Yellow Line area unless Hamas and Gaza are disarmed, and that any international deployment needs separate sign-off from the prime minister and the defense and foreign ministers. The force so far reportedly numbers only about 200 personnel from countries including Uganda and Morocco, neither of which immediately commented.
Underlying the arrangement is a dispute over sequence that Hamas says inverts the deal.
Hamas argues that pressing for its disarmament while Israel ignores its own first-phase obligations contradicts Trump’s plan: Hamas released Israeli captives as required, while Israel has continued attacks and restricted humanitarian aid.
The agreement’s second phase pairs a broader Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction with the start of disarming Palestinian factions, but Israel insists disarmament must come first.
Trump’s plan calls for the United States to work with Arab and international partners on a temporary force to train and support Palestinian police, in consultation with Egypt and Jordan, and to work with Israel and Egypt to secure borders, block weapons from entering Gaza, and ease the flow of goods.
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