\u201cIsrael maintains that the IDF will continue to hold the Yellow Line [to which forces withdrew last October], and there will be no [further] withdrawal whatsoever until Hamas has been completely disarmed and the Gaza Strip has been fully demilitarized,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n
\t The cabinet also decided that Israel will determine which countries are permitted to contribute personnel to the force, the official continued, saying \u201conly countries with which Israel has a peace agreement, and which are not acting against the State of Israel or its officials in international forums, will be eligible.\u201d<\/p>\n That condition would seem to preclude Indonesia, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel, and had initially vowed to contribute some 8,000 troops to the force, though it backed away in recent months due to domestic backlash and doubt regarding the Gaza plan\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n It would also apparently rule out troops from Turkey, which has been among the harshest critics of Israel\u2019s war against Hamas, launched after the October 7, 2023, massacre, and which has hosted Hamas leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this stage, the force is expected to consist of approximately 200 personnel from friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n While three other countries \u2014 Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo \u2014 have also agreed to contribute troops to the ISF \u2014 Morocco is slated to be the first of them to actually deploy troops in Gaza, officials familiar with the Board of Peace\u2019s plans have told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n The Board of Peace has been promoting the plan for several months. It envisions the establishment of a pilot humanitarian zone in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, from which Israeli troops would withdraw and be replaced by personnel from ISF. The arrangement would allow an initial group of vetted Gazans to relocate from Hamas-controlled territory. Hamas has so far refused to disarm as envisioned under US President Donald Trump\u2019s 20-point framework for Gaza, and the Board has been struggling to get Israeli approval on certain key components of the plan.<\/p>\n \u201cI welcome steps by Israel that enable the deployment of the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2803,\u201d said Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov on X. \u201cIt is a critical part of the agreed framework for stabilizing Gaza, supporting demilitarization, and enabling the transition to effective Palestinian transitional administration under the NCAG.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe focus now in [sic] on ensuring that we move forward with the 20-point Plan for Gaza, including the implementation of the Roadmap as presented by the mediators,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n While not mentioning the cabinet vote, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) said on Sunday it had \u201ccompleted the necessary institutional and operational preparations to assume its mandate in the Gaza Strip under the Comprehensive Peace Plan, once the Board of Peace and Security Council authorizes deployment, Israeli forces have withdrawn, and the agreed implementation arrangements are in place.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Last week, Mladenov and Aryeh Lightstone, special advisor to the Board, met with Netanyahu to brief him on plans for the pilot project, and received a \u201cpositive\u201d response from the premier, a Board official told The Times of Israel on Sunday.<\/p>\n Much of what was expected to be discussed in Sunday\u2019s cabinet meeting surrounded proposals outlined in a private letter Lightstone sent to the Israeli government last month, the Board official said, confirming an earlier Kan news report on the letter. According to the report, the letter called for relaxation of certain restrictions on \u201cdual-use\u201d\u00a0 items entering Gaza as well as the signing of agreements that would allow troops from ISF contributing countries to enter Gaza, and approval of measures related to the vetting and entry of a Palestinian police force to be deployed under the Trump plan.<\/p>\n While Arab diplomats and Israeli officials have told The Times of Israel that moving forward with the humanitarian zone has been difficult with Israeli elections approaching \u2014 as Netanyahu\u2019s coalition remains wary of reconstruction beginning while Hamas remains armed in half the Strip \u2014 the Board official said Israel has been broadly cooperative, but admitted that even with cabinet approval of certain measures, meaningful progress on the pilot zone will be further down the line.<\/p>\n \u201cThese pieces are all moving forward. It just takes a little time,\u201d the official said, saying the Board understands \u201cthe reality\u201d of Israeli elections, but that nonetheless \u201cwe\u2019re seeing that things can move forward, at least from an approvals process or from a cooperation process, even if implementation doesn\u2019t happen 24 hours later.\u201d<\/p>\n The fragile ceasefire deal in October attempted to halt a two-year-long war between Israel and Hamas that began when the Palestinian terror group led an invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n The heaviest fighting has subsided, but at least 1,123 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory\u2019s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and fighters but claims women and children make up most of the dead.<\/p>\n Gunmen have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to those and other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Gaza Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov in Jerusalem on May 13, 2026. (Maayan Toaf\/GPO)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ali-Shaath-e1768716485741-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tAli Shaath, the top official of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, signs the committee\u2019s mission statement in a photo posted to his X account on January 17, 2026. (Ali Shaath\/X)<\/p>\n
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