Israel reportedly approved deploying about 250 foreign troops to Gaza as Trump pressed Netanyahu to implement his stalled Gaza plan.
The Israeli government has approved the deployment of a multinational force inside the Gaza Strip, with about 250 troops expected in the first phase, the Israeli outlet Walla reported on Monday.
Israeli officials told Walla that preparations were underway. The outlet reported that foreign military officers accompanied by US soldiers had been seen near Gaza’s border over the previous two weeks.
Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Uganda and Albania have expressed willingness to participate, according to Walla. Kazakhstan offered medical and logistical support, while Kosovo proposed taking on security and policing duties.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been pressing Washington to include Turkey in operations inside Gaza. Israeli government and military officials oppose any Turkish role in the force, Walla reported.
Trump Presses Netanyahu to Move ahead after Election
US President Donald Trump asked outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a November 5 phone call to take steps to implement his Gaza plan, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the conversation.
The Trump administration had held off on pressing for implementation during Israel’s election campaign, Axios reported. Trump endorsed Netanyahu shortly before the October 27 vote but now wants the plan to proceed regardless of who forms Israel’s next government.
The roadmap calls for disarming Hamas and other armed groups, transferring governance to a Palestinian technocratic administration and deploying an International Stabilization Force.
Axios reported that Trump’s Board of Peace reached a “15-point plan” with Hamas in July on disarmament and the transfer of civilian and security control, but that Netanyahu’s government largely refused to move ahead, mainly for domestic political reasons.
During an August visit, Trump adviser Jared Kushner told Netanyahu that Hamas had agreed to disarm and urged him to test that commitment, Axios reported. Netanyahu remained skeptical and maintained that Hamas was rebuilding its forces and rearming.
Washington Ties Gaza Reconstruction to Disarmament
The Board of Peace has spent the past three months working with the Israeli government and military to revise the implementation plan and address Israeli concerns about disarmament, Axios reported.
In September, the board unveiled a six-month, $2.45 billion initial recovery proposal covering 66 projects. Axios reported, citing a US official, that the process would be gradual and that reconstruction would begin only after progress in disarming Hamas had been verified.
Axios quoted the official as saying, “We want to move forward collaboratively and we need full cooperation and partnership from the Israeli government.”
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a member of the Board of Peace, visited Israel the day after the call and met with both Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with forming the next government.
Axios reported that Blair urged Israeli leaders to give the plan a chance.
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