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17-10-2025
JERUSALEM/ GAZA STRIP/ WASHINGTON: Planning has begun for an international force to go into Gaza to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisers said on Wednesday.
One of the top requirements of President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan was formation of a US-backed stabilization force. The United States has agreed to provide up to 200 troops to support the force without being deployed in Gaza itself.
The two senior advisers, in a briefing for reporters, said tensions remain high between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the enclave.
“Right now what we’re looking to accomplish is just a basic stabilization of the situation. The international stabilization force is starting to be constructed,” one adviser said.
Among the countries the US is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Azerbaijan, said the adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The advisers said there were up to two dozen US troops in the region to help set up the operation, serving in a “coordination, oversight” role.
“The goal is to use all the different local partners who want to help and be involved,” the adviser said.
After Hamas killed seven men in Gaza City it accused of collaborating with Israel, the advisers said there were discussions to establish safe zones for civilians to prevent such incidents.
The second adviser said that no Gazans would be forced to leave the battered Palestinian enclave. Officials are looking at rebuilding in areas that are free of Hamas militants.
Trump has said he would like to see the enclave rebuilt and has pledges of investment from various international partners, but that this effort will take time.
The advisers also said patience was needed for the recovery of dead Israeli hostages, saying it will take longer than expected because their remains are buried under rubble and unexploded ordnance.
They said there are discussions about offering rewards for information leading to the discovery of remains.
Meanwhile, The US is working to identify and recruit Palestinians to take part in the transitional technocratic government that will administer postwar Gaza, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump says.
The senior Trump adviser indicates during a briefing with reporters that the US is prioritizing de-confliction, ramping up humanitarian aid, recovering hostages’ remains and demilitarizing Gaza. However, individuals have reached out in the meantime to express interest in joining the technocratic government because they realize that “Hamas is weaker than (it has) ever been.”
“Certain Palestinians have said living in the West Bank under the PA (Palestinian Authority) rule has been like living under the mafia, and a lot of the people who wanted to have a good life just had to leave because it’s not a functional place in that regard. And obviously Gaza was run by a terrorist organization,” the Trump adviser says in surprisingly biting criticism of Ramallah, just days after Washington agreed to include PA President Mahmoud Abbas in the Gaza summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh earlier this week during which Trump was seen warmly embracing Abbas during a photo-op. “There’s a lot of incredibly successful Palestinians in the diaspora who really want to see the suffering of their people end, and they’ve been reaching out to try to be a part of (the technocratic government),” the senior Trump adviser says. (Int’l News Desk)
