Israel has prevented construction of a military outpost intended to accommodate international troops in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative, potentially delaying the broader reconstruction program, The Guardian reported Wednesday.<\/p>\n
According to a source with direct knowledge of the project, Israeli authorities have not authorized contractors or construction vehicles to enter Gaza, despite the contract having been awarded more than two months ago.<\/p>\n
The Board of Peace, an international body authorized by the United Nations in 2025 and chaired by Trump, awarded its first Gaza construction contract in early August to Arkel International, a Louisiana-based company.<\/p>\n
Under the agreement, Arkel was to establish a fortified military installation for approximately 150 troops serving as the initial contingent of an international stabilization force.<\/p>\n
However, the project has yet to begin because Israel has not permitted the company to move personnel and equipment into the territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael won\u2019t open the border,” the source told The Guardian.<\/p>\n
The proposed installation, described as a \u201cmission support site temporary outpost”, would occupy an area measuring approximately 100 by 100 meters.<\/p>\n
According to the source, the location was previously associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the now-defunct US-backed aid distribution initiative that operated in Gaza between May and October 2025, using private security contractors to protect its operations.<\/p>\n
The planned base would accommodate rotating deployments of 150 heavily armed international troops, drawn from a larger force of 500 personnel already dispatched from Morocco and Kosovo.<\/p>\n
The source claimed that establishing the military outpost was essential to launching the Board of Peace’s other activities in Gaza, including reconstruction and infrastructure development.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t get in without [an international stabilization force (ISF)]. You can\u2019t rebuild,” the source explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no security. There\u2019s no deliveries of construction equipment. You can\u2019t even start putting utilities. You can\u2019t start putting in basic life-support facilities you know because without the ISF you can\u2019t go in.”<\/p>\n
Representatives of the Board of Peace declined to address the report, while the Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces also declined to comment.<\/p>\n
The Board of Peace was established following the October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza and has become a central component of Trump’s efforts to present his administration as having brought an end to the conflict.<\/p>\n
Although numerous Western democracies have declined to participate, 28 countries joined the organization as founding members earlier this year.<\/p>\n