International forces could be deployed to the Gaza Strip as early as next month as a stabilization force, they told Reuters.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the International Stabilization Force (ISF) would not engage in combat with Hamas. Many countries have expressed interest in participating, and US officials are currently working on the ISF’s size, composition, housing, training and rules of engagement.
US Central Command will hold a conference in Doha on December 16 with partner nations to plan an ISF for Gaza, officials said. More than 25 countries are expected to send representatives, and conference sessions will cover command structure and other aspects of the force.
A two-star American general is being considered as a potential ISF commander, but a decision has not yet been made, officials said.
The deployment of force is a key part of the next phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. In the first phase, a fragile cease-fire in the two-year war began on October 10, Hamas released hostages and Israel released detained Palestinians.
The preparation of the Indonesian army
Indonesia has said it is ready to deploy up to 20,000 troops for health and construction tasks in Gaza.
– We are still in the planning and preparation phase – said Rico Sirait, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia. “We are currently preparing the organizational structure of the forces that will be deployed.”
Israel still controls 53 percent of Gaza, while nearly all of its two million people live in the remaining territory controlled by Hamas. Under Trump’s plan, the ISF would be deployed in an area under Israeli control, and in order for the force to establish control and stability, Israeli troops would gradually withdraw their units “according to standards, milestones and deadlines related to demilitarization.”
Demilitarization of Gaza
The UN Security Council Resolution of 17 November authorized the Peace Committee and the countries working with it to establish the ISF. The force is authorized to work alongside newly trained and vetted Palestinian police to stabilize security “by ensuring the demilitarization process of the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of military infrastructure, as well as the permanent surrender of weapons by non-state armed groups.”
However, it is still not clear how this will actually work.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz noted that the ISF has Security Council authority to demilitarize Gaza “comprehensively, including the use of force.” “Obviously it will be a subject of discussion with each country,” he said, adding that discussions are currently underway on the rules of engagement.
Hamas has said that the issue of disarmament has not been formally discussed with the mediators – the US, Egypt and Qatar – and that it will not hand over its weapons until a Palestinian state is established.
(Vijesti.ba)
