GAZA (JNI) — A small contingent of U.S.-allied troops will deploy to Israeli-held portions of Gaza in support of a new, non-Hamas administration, according to the White House-backed international body charged with administering the territory. Some Gazans voiced enthusiasm about the move, but others caution against false hope.
On Friday, Israel’s cabinet approved the entry of 200 troops from the International Stabilization Force (ISF) — reportedly including Moroccan and Ugandan soldiers — tasked with supporting the National Council for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a new body formed to administer the territory as part of President Trump’s 2025 peace plan. NCAG announced July 26 that it “has completed the necessary institutional and operational preparations to assume its mandate in the Gaza Strip under the Comprehensive Peace Plan, once the Board of Peace and Security Council authorize deployment, Israeli forces have withdrawn, and the agreed implementation arrangements are in place.”
Cairo-based Al-Ghad TV reports that a base for the new force has been built on the Israeli side of the Karam Abu Salem crossing into Gaza near Rafah (known in Hebrew as Kerem Shalom), suggesting that the ISF may operate from outside Gaza, at least initially.
Three senior officials in anti-Hamas militia groups told Jusoor News that they saw no preparations for the entry of ISF troops thus far. The officials, who live and work in Israeli-held parts of eastern Gaza, said they have received no notice of specific plans or locations for the soldiers’ deployment.
News about the ISF plan spurred mixed reactions from Gazans. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for since we left the south,” a Gazan man who fled Rafah during the war told Al-Ghad. Others expressed doubt. “We hope the entry of 200 soldiers into Gaza won’t be just worthless symbolism,” wrote Farih Abu Madyan, a Fatah stalwart and former Palestinian Authority Minister of Justice, in a post on Facebook. Amani Shabat, a mental health specialist from Beit Hanoun, wrote: “There’s not going to be any reconstruction. The next generation will inherit our tents.”
Whether an initial ISF deployment grows into a standing force across Gaza hinges largely on Hamas, which controls all of Gaza’s populated areas. After Hamas leaders met Egyptian, Turkish, and Qatari officials in Cairo today, an official statement by the armed group said it is committed to implementing President Trump’s ceasefire agreement.
Some Gazans accuse the group of stalling, however. “Stop insulting people’s intelligence and playing with their feelings,” wrote Muhammad Diab, a Gazan commentator with 50,000 followers on Facebook. “Riddles and prize contests are good for selling soft drinks and candy, not for solving Gaza’s deep crisis.”