The Trump administration is working on a U.N. Security Council resolution to send multinational forces to Gaza to uphold a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, according to people familiar with the plan.
Officials said details of a temporary security force responsible for demilitarizing Gaza and training a new Palestinian police force were being discussed as part of work on the resolution. U.S. forces will not participate in the Gaza ground forces, but will instead act in a coordinating role outside the territory.
The official said an early draft of the resolution was shared with other members of the Security Council.
The creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) is a key part of President Trump’s 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan, but many countries considering joining have made it clear that they will only do so under the mandate of a UN resolution.
During a visit to Israel last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said some potential participants would only join if there was “some kind of international mission,” adding that this could take the form of a UN resolution or an “international agreement.”
Once established, the ISF would work closely with Israel and Egypt and operate under a unified command, sources told CNN. The United States has established a coordination center in southern Israel to manage the next stages of the Gaza ceasefire plan, including planned reconstruction efforts and the entry of humanitarian aid. Nearly 40 countries and international organizations are represented at the coordination center, according to U.S. Central Command.
According to the draft resolution, the ISF will work with trained Palestinian police to stabilize the security situation in Gaza and ensure the enclave’s demilitarization. This includes the destruction of military infrastructure used by Hamas, a step that risks putting the new group in direct conflict with the extremist group, which has been trying to regain authority since the ceasefire.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan also calls for international troops to disarm Hamas, but countries have been reluctant to agree to such a mission.
Several Muslim-majority countries considering joining the ISF met in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the mission. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who attended the meeting, told a news conference that countries would decide whether to participate in the mission depending on the definition of the force and the UN mandate.
“We are ready to shoulder the burden of peace. We are ready to make any sacrifices. But… it is important that the documents and frameworks that are developed are of clearly supportable quality. Therefore, our diplomatic contacts and efforts on this issue will continue,” Fidan said at a press conference after the meeting.
It is unclear what role Turkey will play in the force, but Israel has made clear that it will not tolerate the presence of Turkish troops in the Gaza Strip.
According to a senior Israeli official, Israel was reluctant to agree to an international military mission to the United Nations, but backed out after pressure from the United States. Still, Israel was involved in drafting the resolution and is still trying to influence its wording, officials told CNN.
“There are no major problems for us at this point. The question is whether it will continue like this or not,” the official said. The current working draft does not include any reporting requirements to the Security Council, and Israel would like it to remain that way.
“Some countries will try to increase the Security Council’s involvement as much as possible, and Israel will try to prevent that,” the official added.
The draft resolution calls for the ISF to operate until the end of 2027, at which point its mandate must be renewed in consultation with Israel, Egypt and Security Council member states.
Lucy Kulzer Ellenbogen, a senior researcher at the Middle East Institute, said that ideally international forces would have been activated the moment the ceasefire took effect in early October. The agreement calls for the “immediate” deployment of troops.
“These compositional issues, the uncertainty about the details of disarmament obligations, and the uncertainty about what kind of interaction and coordination[with the Israel Defense Forces]will necessarily entail, definitely pose challenges to its launch,” Kurzer-Ellenbogen told CNN.
