A girl walks amid the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
According to the report, the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire on Tuesday “underscored just how fragile the peace is,” as Washington seeks to prevent a renewed escalation.
The proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF), envisioned in US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, would involve the creation of a new Palestinian police force, trained and vetted by the US, Egypt, and Jordan, alongside troops from Arab and Muslim countries.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) is leading the drafting process, a US official told Axios. The official said, “Countries including Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey have shown a willingness to contribute troops,” though they voiced concerns about Gaza’s volatile security conditions.
“If we don’t have reliable security and governance in Gaza that the Israelis agree to, we will get stuck in a situation where Israel is attacking all the time,” one source involved in planning told Axios.
Under Trump's 20-point plan, the deployment of the ISF is a condition for Israel's further withdrawal from the roughly 50 percent of Gaza's territory it still holds. The force is expected to focus on securing Gaza's borders with Israel and Egypt and preventing arms smuggling.
US officials see the ISF as crucial to stabilizing Gaza and avoiding a resumption of Israel's war on the strip, but one senior official stressed the need for caution: “It is better to move slow and get it right because we are not gonna have a second chance.”
The ISF was reportedly a central topic during recent visits to Israel by Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Kushner and Witkoff also held extensive consultations with senior Israeli military officers two weeks ago, during which the US delegation presented its ideas for the force’s size.
Israeli officials reportedly emphasized that legitimacy among the local population and willingness “to fight and kill if needed” were more important than numbers.
“The Israelis are nervous and sceptical because they are not in control and they don’t have the cards anymore,” a US official said. “We told them, ‘Let’s create the right circumstances and see if Hamas is serious or not.’”
Few countries are prepared to risk deploying troops to Gaza or engaging Hamas directly. Turkey has expressed readiness to participate, but Israel opposes any Turkish military presence. Washington, however, wants Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt involved, viewing them as best placed to “get Hamas to agree and to behave.”
“The Turks were very helpful in getting the Gaza deal, and Netanyahu’s bashing of Turkey has been very counterproductive,” a US official told Axios.
“We are aware of the Israeli concerns and are working to create something that can achieve stability and that both sides can find acceptable,” the official added.
A key objective, according to Axios, is to obtain Hamas’s consent for the ISF deployment. “If you are going into an environment where Hamas sees you as an occupying force, it will be hard,” one source said. “But if Hamas consents, it’s a different situation.”
In that case, the ISF would not engage in combat with Hamas but would instead enforce the ceasefire and counter groups seeking to undermine it.
US and Israeli officials told Axios that Hamas is using the current lull to rebuild its forces and reassert control in Gaza.
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