The goal of deploying the ISF in January is not new, and The Times of Israel has reported for nearly two months that US officials have been talking about that aim. But the timeframe is appearing increasingly unlikely, as even the countries that were thought to be interested in contributing troops, such as Azerbaijan and Indonesia, have yet to formally announce decisions to do so.<\/p>\n
\t Deployment of the force is a key part of the next phase of US President Donald Trump\u2019s Gaza peace plan. Under the first phase, a fragile ceasefire in the two-year war began on October 10, with Hamas releasing hostages and Israel freeing detained Palestinians.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lot of quiet planning that\u2019s going on behind the scenes right now for phase two of the peace deal,\u201d White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. \u201cWe want to ensure an enduring and lasting peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Indonesia preparing force that will deploy to Gaza<\/p>\n Indonesia has said it is prepared to deploy up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is still in the planning and preparation stages,\u201d said Rico Sirait, spokesperson of Indonesian Defense Ministry. \u201cWe are now preparing the organizational structure of the forces to be deployed.\u201d<\/p>\n \t An Azerbaijani official told<\/a> The Times of Israel last week that Baku doesn\u2019t have nearly enough information on the ISF\u2019s mandate in order to make a decision to join the force.<\/p>\n Israel still controls 53% of Gaza, while nearly all the 2 million people in the enclave live in the remaining Hamas-held area. The plan \u2014 which needs to be finalized by the so-called Board of Peace \u2014 is for the ISF to deploy in the area held by Israel, the US officials said.<\/p>\n Then, according to the Trump peace plan, as the ISF establishes control and stability, Israeli troops will gradually withdraw \u201cbased on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization.\u201d<\/p>\n A UN Security Council resolution adopted on November 17 authorized a Board of Peace and countries working with it to establish the ISF. Trump said on Wednesday that an announcement on which world leaders will serve on the Board of Peace will be made early next year.<\/p>\n Demilitarizing Gaza<\/p>\n The Security Council authorized the ISF to work alongside newly trained and vetted Palestinian police to stabilize security \u201cby ensuring the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of rebuilding of the military, terror, and offensive infrastructure, as well as the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.\u201d<\/p>\n However, it remains unclear exactly how that would work.<\/p>\n US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz noted on Thursday that the ISF was authorized by the Security Council to demilitarize Gaza by all means necessary \u2014 which means use of force.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously that\u2019ll be a conversation with each country,\u201d he told Israel\u2019s Channel 12 news, adding that discussions on rules of engagement were under way.<\/p>\n Hamas has said the issue of disarmament has not been discussed with them formally by the mediators \u2014 the US, Egypt and Qatar \u2014 and the terror group\u2019s stance remains that it will not disarm until a Palestinian state is established.<\/p>\n \t Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech on Sunday that the second phase would move toward demilitarization and disarmament.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that raises a question: Our friends in America want to try and establish a multinational task force to do the job,\u201d he said. \u201cI told them I welcome it. Are volunteers here? Be my guest,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know there are certain tasks that this force can perform \u2026 but some things are beyond their abilities, and perhaps the main thing is beyond their abilities, but we will see about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tUndated photo of US and Qatari Special Operations Forces as they conduct partner training during Invincible Sentry 25. (Courtesy CENTCOM)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25244134546882-e1765592242791-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIllustrative: Indonesian soldiers are deployed following days of violent protests against lawmakers\u2019 perks and privileges, in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 1, 2025. (AP Photo\/Tatan Syuflana)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AFP__20251103__82V33NM__v2__HighRes__TopshotPalestinianIsraelConflictGaza-e1762592698419-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tHamas terrorists guard an area where they are searching for the bodies of hostages with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza City on November 3, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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