• Muslim diplomats parsing US resolution carefully, expect it to ‘evolve’
• Azerbaijan will only send peacekeepers ‘if fighting stops’

WASHINGTON: President Don­ald Trump said on Thursday that he expects a US-coordinated International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to be on the ground in Gaza “very soon”.

The multinational force — likely to include troops from Mus­lim countries such as Egypt, Qat­ar, Turkiye, etc — is part of Trump’s post-war governance plan for Gaza.

The plan helped lead to a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on October 10, but the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has not abated.

“It’s going to be very soon. And Gaza is working out very well,” Trump said at a White House fun­ction with Central Asian leaders.

“You haven’t been hearing too much about problems, and I’ll tell you, we’ve had countries that have volunteered if there’s a problem with Hamas.”

The force is supposed to train and support vetted Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip, with backing from Egypt and Jordan.

It also will be tasked with sec­uring border areas and preventing weapons reaching Hamas.

On Wednesday, the United States circulated a draft UN Sec­urity Council resolution to partner nations aimed at shoring up Trump’s plan, including by greenlighting the international force.

Washington’s UN envoy Mike Waltz shared the draft with the 10 elected Security Council members — which includes Pakistan — and several regional partners, a spokesperson for the US mission said in a statement.

A vote has not yet been scheduled. According to diplomatic sources, several countries have indicated their willingness to participate in the force, but insist on a Security Council mandate before actually deploying troops into the Palestinian territory.

Meanwhile, senior Muslim diplomats said the issue is already sensitive, and strong pro-Palestinian sentiment in their countries makes it even more delicate.

They noted that support for the US draft resolution would depend on a clear UN mandate, a non-combat role, and coordination with Palestinian authorities.

“It is a draft that will be negotiated and evolve,” a senior diplomat from a Muslim bloc country told Dawn. “The draft was already circulated — is being considered and discussed by the Council members at this stage.”

Azeri troops

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Azerbaijan does not plan to send peacekeepers to Gaza unless there is a complete halt to fighting there between Israel and Hamas.

“We do not want to put our troops in danger. This can only happen if military action is completely stopped,” the Azerbaijani foreign ministry source said.

The source noted that any such decision would have to be approved by parliament. The head of the parliamentary security committee told Reuters that it had not yet received any draft bill on the matter.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2025