From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Commander says Gaza stabilization force to include 20,000 soldiers, 12,000 police officers
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
WASHINGTON — International Stabilization Force Commander Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers reveals that his force will consist of 20,000 soldiers along with 12,000 police officers.
“The ISF will do two things: stabilize the security environment in Gaza and enable civilian governance,” Jaspers says in remarks at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington.
He says the US has already established a joint operation center that is going to be the headquarters of the ISF.
A slide presentation shows that the base will be located in southern Israel, apparently at the Civil-Military Coordination Center that has been operating in Kiryat Gat since last year.
Jaspers thanks Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania for contributing troops and Egypt and Jordan for agreeing to train Palestinian police.
The ISF commander adds that Indonesia has agreed to fill the position of deputy commander of the force after Jakarta committed to contribute the largest number of soldiers — 8,000.
The Times of Israel Community.