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Cabinet backs ISF entry
Israel’s security cabinet approved the entry of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) into the Gaza Strip as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point “peace plan,” with the goal of launching a pilot project in Rafah within the next few months.
“Israel’s government has approved the entry of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point “peace plan,” to Gaza”
The plan’s first phase involves infrastructure work to construct temporary housing that will accommodate “tens of thousands of Palestinians,” with all entrants to undergo strict security screening before being allowed to enter the area.
The Jerusalem Post said the cabinet also approved granting immunity to the ISF under the “Immunities for International Organizations” law, and that the force would operate “in full coordination with” the Israeli military in areas beyond the Yellow Line.
The Express Tribune reported that the ISF would receive legal immunity under Israeli law and operate in coordination with the Israeli military outside its control zones, while a senior Israeli official said the military would continue to hold the “yellow line” and would not withdraw unless Hamas disarms.
The Express Tribune added that the security cabinet decided only countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel and not acting against it in international forums could participate in the ISF.
Ben-Gvir opposes, Saar replies
The decision faced opposition inside Israel’s cabinet, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voting against the entry of the ISF and arguing that Hamas has failed to meet its commitments, according to Israeli media cited by the Express Tribune.
Ben-Gvir’s position was framed by the Daily Sabah report as a claim that “Hamas has not honored its commitment to demilitarize the Gaza Strip and disarm, so neither are we bound by it,” while Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded during the meeting that it was “an international plan,” adding: “We may not succeed, but we should not be the ones to derail it.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich voted in favor of the decision while Ben-Gvir voted against, and that Opposition to the decision was led by National Missions Minister Orit Strock, who said: “If this new Gaza plan had been presented by the former IDF chief, there would have been an uproar.”
Haaretz reported that the approval was scheduled one day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to travel to Washington, and it said the decision involved around 200 representatives from “friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco.”
Al Jazeera reported that Nickolay Mladenov, director-general of the Gaza Board of Peace, welcomed the news, and it quoted the Reuters-based figure that the ISF would include 200 people from “friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco.”
Governance, screening, and aid
Beyond the ISF, the Jerusalem Post said the vote also allows the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) to enter at least part of the Gaza Strip, with the pilot phase tied to areas outside Hamas control and managed by a Palestinian technocratic committee supported by a multinational force.
“Israel's Security Cabinet (the small cabinet) on Sunday approved allowing the entry of the 'Peace Council' and the multinational force into the Gaza Strip”
Haaretz described how governance under the 20-point plan would be transferred to the NCAG in areas designated as “terror-free,” and it said the technocratic committee members would not enter the Gaza Strip in the first stage, operating instead in the “Orange Zone” between the IDF’s Yellow Line and the Orange Line.
The Jerusalem Post said the first phase would include temporary housing for “tens of thousands of Palestinians,” and it added that the IDF insisted on holding the Yellow Line with “no withdrawal of any kind” as long as Hamas has not been fully disarmed and the Gaza Strip has not been completely demilitarized.
Al Jazeera reported that Israel currently occupies close to 70 percent of Gaza and that the ISF will operate in areas that are not under Israeli control, while the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the October ceasefire deal was implemented and 3,888 wounded.
The Express Tribune also reported that the ISF base near southern Gaza’s Rafah had been approved and that about 30 Moroccan officers had toured the planned deployment area, with the ISF created under a Gaza peace deal endorsed by the UN Security Council in November last year.
