Palestinians walk near an area where Hamas fighters and members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (back) search for the bodies of Israeli captives in the rubble in Gaza City. AFP
The multinational force -- likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates -- is part of Trump's post-war governance plan for Gaza.
The plan helped bring about a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which took effect on 10 October.
But Israel’s genocidal war has only slowed, with the Israeli army violating the ceasefire multiple times, killing more than 250 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Israel's blockade, meanwhile, remains in place, worsening the famine in the besieged Gaza Strip.
"It's going to be very soon. And Gaza is working out very well," Trump said at a White House function with Central Asian leaders.
"You haven't been hearing too much about problems, and I'll tell you, we've had countries that have volunteered if there's a problem with Hamas."
The force is supposed to train and support vetted Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip, with backing from Egypt and Jordan.
It is also tasked with maintaining security in Gaza and along its border areas as Israel withdraws its occupying forces from the strip. In that case, the ISF would not engage in combat with Palestinian resistance groups but would instead enforce the ceasefire and counter groups seeking to undermine it.
The proposal comes as Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed nearly 70,000 Palestinians and injured over 170,000 others, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.
On Wednesday, the United States circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution to partner nations aimed at shoring up Trump's plan, including by greenlighting the international force.
The resolution welcomes the controversial "Board of Peace," a transitional governing body for Gaza which Trump would chair.
Washington's UN envoy Mike Waltz shared the draft with the 10 elected Security Council members and several regional partners -- Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- a spokesperson for the US mission said in a statement.
A vote has not yet been scheduled.
According to diplomatic sources, several countries have indicated their willingness to participate in the force, but insist on a Security Council mandate before actually deploying troops into the Palestinian territory.
The head of the US Central Command, the military command responsible for the Middle East, said last month during a visit to Gaza that no US troops would be deployed there.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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