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Israel will allow a multinational security force to enter Gaza as proposed under US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan for the enclave, an Israeli official said on Sunday, a day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington.

Netanyahu's security cabinet on Sunday approved the legal framework that would allow the force's entry to Gaza, the official said. Netanyahu is scheduled to depart for Washington on Monday and is expected to meet Trump on Tuesday.

The official said that the mission, called the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), will include 200 members from "friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco" deploying in areas that are not under Israeli control. Each contingent requires individual Israeli approval to enter Gaza, as reported by Dawn and the South China Morning Post.

Coverage comparison

Al Jazeera reported that Israel's security cabinet approved a pilot project to allow foreign security forces into Gaza, with the force deploying in a designated test zone in the southern city of Rafah. The outlet also noted that the Israeli military will retain control of the Yellow Line and that Palestinian police will be stripped of firearms, carrying only rubber batons and tasers.

Another Al Jazeera report described the ISF as operating in areas outside Israel's military control and in full coordination with the Israeli military. Both Dawn and the South China Morning Post carried similar details, emphasizing that the security cabinet approved the legal framework for the force's entry.

There was no timeframe given for when the ISF will be deployed.

Key claims

  • The force will include 200 members from "friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco," according to an Israeli official reported by multiple outlets.
  • The force will deploy in areas not under Israeli control, as stated by the same official.
  • One Al Jazeera report specified that the deployment will be in a designated test zone in Rafah, a claim not mentioned in other reports.
  • The force will operate in full coordination with the Israeli military, a detail reported by Al Jazeera.
  • The Israeli military will retain control of the Yellow Line, according to Al Jazeera.
  • Palestinian police will be stripped of firearms and only carry rubber batons and tasers, as reported by Al Jazeera.
  • The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza will only assume responsibility for Gaza after UNSC approval and full Israeli military withdrawal, a claim reported by a single source.
  • Trump set out a 20-point peace plan for Gaza that provided for a surge in humanitarian aid, civilian administration by Palestinian technocrats, Hamas laying down its arms, and Israeli forces withdrawing, as reported by Dawn and the South China Morning Post.

Context

The plan has stalled, and the group of technocrats known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza has remained outside Gaza, according to the South China Morning Post. Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 per cent of Gaza, while nearly all of its 2 million people live on a sliver of land on the coast, facing dire conditions. Hamas has so far refused to disarm, and Israel has said it will expand its area of control to 70 per cent of the enclave, where it has continued almost daily military strikes.

Trump's plan included a Board of Peace as an overarching international authority responsible for implementing the peace framework, overseeing the security force among other functions, as reported by the South China Morning Post.