OMM Newsroom
US military preparations are underway near the Gaza Strip border ahead of a planned deployment of an international stabilization force inside the Palestinian enclave, Israeli media reported Monday, according to Anadolu Agency.
The Israeli news site “Walla” reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had approved an initial deployment of around 250 foreign troops. Israel had previously said it would allow dozens of foreign military personnel into Gaza, without specifying a number. In August, Netanyahu denied approving the international force’s entry into the enclave.
Countries that have told Washington they are willing to participate include Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Uganda and Albania, according to “Walla”. Kazakhstan has offered medical and logistical assistance, while Kosovo has proposed contributing to security and policing missions.
Plans for the force emerged months ago, but it has not entered Gaza amid indications of Israeli obstacles to its deployment. The proposed force is part of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, which has been under Israeli genocide since October 2023.
“Walla” said Israeli military establishment concerns include the policy the United States might adopt toward Israel and how quickly the force could be deployed in Gaza. It reported that those concerns had grown amid fears that senior US administration officials might take a tougher approach toward Israel, particularly after the Republican Party’s performance in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The Democratic Party won control of both chambers of Congress from Trump’s Republican Party in the elections.
An unnamed Israeli security official told “Walla” it was “not inconceivable” that the Gaza Division and Southern Command could one day find an international force in Gaza larger than the Gaza Division itself. “Israel must be prepared for various diplomatic and security scenarios that could have implications on the ground,” the official said, without elaborating.
US facility and equipment near the border
US troops and officers from other countries have recently been seen near the Gaza border, “Walla” reported. An Israeli military base in the south has been converted into a secured US facility.
Unnamed Israeli military officials said foreign officers accompanied by US military personnel had been observed around the border over the past two weeks. “These movements are part of preparations for the entry of a multinational force — the International Stabilization Force — deep into the Gaza Strip,” the report said.
The US military has transferred vehicles and equipment to a designated base near the border, within the area of responsibility of the Israeli army’s Southern Brigade of the Gaza Division, according to “Walla”. The equipment includes trucks, highly mobile armored personnel carriers, medical evacuation vehicles and armored vehicles equipped with machine guns.
The site was originally an Israeli military base that was handed over to the United States, the report said. Guard towers, surveillance equipment and lighting systems have been installed around the compound, and its perimeter fence has been reinforced. Armed US soldiers are providing round-the-clock security at the facility.
UAE-backed project planned for Rafah
“Walla” also reported that work is advancing on a UAE-backed project to establish a city on part of Rafah in southern Gaza. Engineering work is underway ahead of the arrival of tens of thousands of Palestinians, who would undergo strict security screening, including checks by Israel.
The international force is expected to secure the city area during the project’s initial phase. Unnamed security officials said the number of Palestinians screened and allowed into the “new city” compound would initially be limited, with the initiative treated as a pilot project.
There is no timetable for the project, “Walla” reported. The Israeli government opposes reconstruction in Gaza unless Hamas is disarmed and control of the enclave is transferred to a third party.
More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 injured in Gaza since October 2023 by Israeli genocide, while around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 1,602 Palestinians and injured 5,794 others, most of them women and children.
Israel has also continued to restrict the agreed entry of food, medicines, medical supplies, shelter materials and prefabricated homes into Gaza, where around 2.4 million Palestinians live, including some 2.15 million displaced people, amid severe humanitarian conditions.
