The Israeli government has approved the entry of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), part of US President Donald Trump's 20-point “peace plan,” into Gaza. An Israeli official reported on Sunday that the security cabinet had approved key legal measures and that the force would operate “in full coordination with” the Israeli military, according to the Times of Israel.
No timeframe was given for the deployment of the ISF, which will include 200 personnel from “friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco,” according to Reuters. The cabinet determined that Israel will have the authority to approve which countries can send forces.
Following the implementation of Trump's deal, Israel dictates who can enter and exit the Gaza Strip, as well as the amount of aid and food allowed in, in the wake of Israel's two-year genocidal war on Gaza. Although a “ceasefire” between Hamas and Israel was agreed in October, reports of killings of Palestinians by the Israeli military occur almost daily. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the deal was implemented, with 3,888 wounded.
The plan also calls for an international “Board of Peace” to oversee the administration and reconstruction of the strip, the creation of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) technocratic governing body, the disarmament of Hamas, and the withdrawal of Israel from the strip.
Nickolay Mladenov, director-general of the Gaza Board of Peace, welcomed the news. The former Bulgarian foreign minister said Israel enabling the deployment was “a critical part of the agreed framework for stabilising Gaza, supporting demilitarisation, and enabling the transition to effective Palestinian transitional administration” under the NCAG.
The cabinet's approval comes a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to travel to Washington, DC. Israel currently occupies close to 70 percent of Gaza, forcing its population of almost two million to live in a diminishing fraction of the strip. The ISF will operate in areas not under Israeli control.
Source: www.aljazeera.com