“A genocide is underway—Israel has already killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza. Only an international force with a mandate can put a stop to it,” a diplomat from a Muslim country, actively involved in the effort, told Reuters. “We all know that there is a cost to what we are doing,” a second diplomat acknowledged.
The ISF is an integral part of a “Phase 2” scenario supported by the US that foresees the stabilization of the Gaza strip following a cease fire, the training of a Palestinian police force, the management of the partial demilitarization of the Gaza strip, and the facilitation of reconstruction efforts in Gaza. Countries participating in the ISF are Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the UAE, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan but most of these states have yet to pledge troops for the ISF’s
Foreign diplomats reported the presence of “broad conceptual support,” the eventual decision depending on the “definition of the mandate, the rules of engagement, the chain of command, and the status in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.”
A possible second front in Gaza is being mediated by Egypt and Qatar in attempting to broker a deal between the Hamas militants and the Israelis. They have been coordinating on the logistics of the chain of
There is also resistance. Israel is against Turkish forces, owing to the support that the Turkish government has historically offered to Hamas. Secondly, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are said to have refused to send their forces. Pakistan has indicated that it will not supply the force to disarm Hamas, although it will support the move to stabilize the region.
