Pakistan to send 20,000 troops to Gaza under a secret deal with Israel to disarm Hamas as part of the Trump-backed Gaza Peace Agreement.

Asim Muneer, COAS, Pakistan. (File Image)

Though Pakistan has not yet recognized Israel, it has struck a secret deal with the Jewish state to send 20,000 troops to disarm the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Pakistan Army has agreed to join the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which will serve as a peacekeeping force in the Gaza Strip and implement the Gaza Peace Agreement. Pakistan’s hypocrisy is exposed as it has not yet recognized Israel, and will send soldiers to disarm the militants it has been supporting so far. 

Mossad Pakistan talks

According to media reports, a high-level meeting was held in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. It was attended by the higher echelons of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad and the Pakistan Army’s top officials. Field Marshal Asim Munir was present in the secret meeting attended also by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Pakistan agreed to send 20,000 soldiers to the Gaza Strip to join the ISF. Its troops will also disarm Hamas. The Palestinian militant group has so far refused to lay down arms and surrender, one of the key features of the 20-point peace deal. 

Pakistan Army Gaza mission

According to Pakistani media, the Pakistan Army’s mandate in Gaza will include ‘neutralising remaining Hamas elements and stabilising the territory under Western instructions’. Pakistan Army’s presence will also involve a ‘controlled Pakistani military presence in Gaza’ under the guise of humanitarian rehabilitation and reconstruction. However, its real mandate would involve neutralising Hamas and maintaining a buffer zone between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. 

Hamas disarmament

It was US President Donald Trump who introduced the Gaza Peace Plan after two years of war in the Gaza Strip. US Vice President JD Vance said the ISF would take the lead in disarming Hamas in Gaza, which is among the most important points in Trump’s plan. The Pakistani contingent will likely work with troops from Indonesia and Azerbaijan. It will provide a security umbrella while facilitating reconstruction and institutional restructuring. 

Donald Trump Gaza plan

However, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Qatar, other players of the peace deal and members of the ISF, are against the presence of Pakistani troops in the Gaza Strip. These countries have aided and supported Hamas and used it as a strategic tool against Israel. Pakistan has close security ties with Ankara and it cannot offend it by sending its troops to the Gaza Strip. However, Islamabad cannot ignore the US and its president, Donald Trump, as well. Trump has heaped copious praise on Asim Munir and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. 

It will be interesting to see how India reacts to the latest development. New Delhi has been supporting the Palestinian cause since its inception; however, it has forged security ties with Israel. India was kept out of the Gaza Peace Agreement, though PM Narendra Modi is one of the first leaders to welcome the deal.Â