Israeli official: Cabinet approved legal framework for Gaza force, with some 200 troops from ‘friendly’ countries

A senior Israeli official says that the security cabinet has approved key legal measures related to the entry of the International Stabilization Force to Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for the Strip.

The cabinet approved granting the ISF immunity under Israel’s “Immunities of International Organizations Law,” according to the official, who adds that the force will operate in “full coordination with the IDF” in areas that are outside of IDF control.

The entry of any ISF personnel will still be subject to the specific approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the official adds, apparently indicating that the decision does not authorize the immediate deployment of the force.

“Israel 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,” the official says.

The cabinet also decided that Israel will determine which countries are permitted to contribute personnel to the force, the official continues, saying “only 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.”

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’s progress.

“At this stage, the force is expected to consist of approximately 200 personnel from friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco,” the official says.

Earlier, officials told The Times of Israel that the cabinet was voting on measures intended to advance a proposed pilot humanitarian zone in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, where ISF personnel would initially deploy along the zone’s borders.

Under the Board of Peace-backed plan, vetted Gazans would be allowed to relocate there from Hamas-controlled territory. The project has faced delays as Hamas continues to refuse to disarm and Israel has withheld approval for several key elements of the plan.