US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: File
The Trump administration is working on a United Nations Security Council resolution to deploy a multinational force to Gaza to enforce the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, CNN reported Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Details of a temporary security force to demilitarize Gaza and form a new Palestinian police force are being discussed as part of work on the resolution, according to the source. US troops would not be part of the forces on the ground in Gaza, but would operate in a coordination role outside the territory.
Early versions of the resolution were shared with other Security Council members, the source said.
The establishment of an international stabilization force (ISF) is a key part of Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan in Gaza, but many countries considering participation have made clear they will only join under the mandate of a UN resolution.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during his visit to Israel last month that some of the potential participants would only join the force if it had some “kind of international mandate”, adding that this could take the form of a UN resolution or an “international agreement”.
Once established, the ISF would operate under a unified command, in close coordination with Israel and Egypt, the source told CNN. The United States has established a coordination center in southern Israel to manage the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire plan, including the planned reconstruction effort and the entry of humanitarian aid. According to U.S. Central Command, nearly 40 different nations and international organizations are represented at the coordination center.
The ISF, in collaboration with a trained Palestinian police force, will stabilize the security situation in Gaza and ensure the demilitarization of the enclave, according to the draft resolution. This includes the destruction of military infrastructure used by Hamas, a move that risks putting the new force in direct conflict with the militant organization, which has been working to reestablish its authority since the ceasefire.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan also calls for the international force to disarm Hamas, but countries have been reluctant to accept such a task.
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands in the Knesset on the day Trump addresses it, in Jerusalem, October 13.
“At the moment there are no major problems for us, the question is whether it will stay like this,” the official said.
