US asked over 70 countries to support proposed Gaza stabilization force — report

The US State Department sent a formal request to over 70 countries asking for troops or money for the emerging international security force for Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Major European powers like France and Italy were approached, as were small countries like El Salvador and Malta, according to the report.

A US official tells the outlet that 19 countries expressed interest in contributing in ways that do not include sending troops.

The Trump administration is trying to piece together a force of 10,000, per the report, which could take the next year to recruit.

The US Central Command is hosting over 25 countries this week and is set to hold a meeting on the international force on Tuesday in Doha, then another in January, according to The New York Times.

Countries open to sending troops are telling the US that they only want to operate in Israeli-controlled areas, while Israel controls the Yellow Line dividing the Strip, and Hamas remains in the 47% of the Strip it controls, says the WSJ, adding that the US is still pushing them to agree to operate in the Hamas-controlled “red zone.”