Israel to allow international force into Gaza, Israeli official says

Israel to allow international force into Gaza, Israeli official says

Israel will allow a multinational security force to enter Gaza, according to an Israeli official. The move follows a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump for the enclave.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet on Sunday approved a legal framework to facilitate the entry of the force, which include granting it immunity under Israeli law. The mission, titled the International Stabilization Force, is expected to consist of 200 members from "friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco." These forces will deploy in areas not under Israeli control.

The Israeli government maintains authority over the deployment; each contingent requires individual approval from the prime minister, defense minister, and foreign minister. The U.S.-created Board of Peace, tasked with overseeing reconstruction, stated last week that it is working on a humanitarian and governance pilot zone in southern Gaza to be secured by this international force.

Netanyahu is scheduled to depart for Washington on Monday and is expected to meet President Trump on Tuesday. This comes as the broader peace plan remains stalled. While the plan called for a surge in humanitarian aid, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the disarmament of Hamas, the group of Palestinian technocrats known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza has remained outside the territory.

The enclave remains largely in ruins after two years of full-scale war triggered by Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. Israel currently controls an estimated 64 per cent of Gaza and has stated it intends to expand that control to 70 per cent. Most of Gaza's two million residents live in damaged buildings or makeshift tents on a sliver of coast under Hamas control. Israel has maintained that its forces will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed.

Escalation in the West Bank

Simultaneous with the Gaza developments, violence has surged in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian officials reported that Israeli settlers attacked villages in the early hours of Sunday, setting fire to two mosques in the northern villages of Kour and Qusra. In Qusra, a newly completed mosque was torched and spray-painted with Hebrew slogans, including Jewish revenge and the land of Israel is redeemed with blood.

The attacks followed a deadly confrontation on Friday in the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus. According to Palestinian and Israeli sources, four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers were killed. The Israeli military stated a Palestinian took a settler's weapon and killed Benayahu Mellet, a 32-year-old security guard from a nearby settlement. Palestinian local authorities claim settlers provoked the violence.

In response to the unrest, Israeli forces imposed a siege on Nablus and surrounding towns, conducted mass arrest raids, and arrested more than 70 Palestinians over the weekend. Netanyahu stated on Sunday that troops entered villages to seize weapons and that Israel is prepared to operate on a broader scale against the terrorist nests.

Political and International Reaction

The violence has sparked sharp criticism within Israel. Opposition leader Yair Golan, chairman of The Democrats party, accused the government of abandoning soldiers and turning the West Bank into a powder keg. Golan described the policies of the Netanyahu-Bezalel Smotrich-Itamar Ben-Gvir government as reckless, claiming they are deliberately creating an explosive reality by allowing extremist settlers to provoke friction.

Internationally, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League have called for intervention. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy urged President Trump to restrain what he called the Israeli government’s extremist ambitions, including a de facto annexation in the West Bank.

Pope Leo XIV also appealed for peace and a return to negotiating a just political solution, noting with apprehension the escalation of violence affecting civilians in both Gaza and the West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 87 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank this year, including 21 by settlers. Three Israelis have been killed by Palestinian militants in 2026, including the two soldiers killed on Friday.