WHILE some had touted Donald Trump’s Gaza plan as a masterstroke that would transform the face of the devastated Palestinian territory, and lead to an era of peace in the Middle East, the reality, more than a month after the ceasefire came into effect, is more sobering.

Though the American president’s scheme may have halted the immediate Israeli genocide — although Tel Aviv continues to target Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank — the follow-up to the ceasefire, specifically the deployment of the so-called international stabilisation force in the occupied territory, is proving trickier. Many of the Muslim states that were initially part of the plan are reportedly having second thoughts about deploying their troops in Gaza. Moreover, the Arab states and Pakistan, which is among the countries that could send troops, have apparently demanded that any UN resolution authorising the deployment of troops must reaffirm the Palestinians’ legitimate demands, namely their right to statehood. UNSC permanent members Russia and China have similarly called for any foreign force in Gaza to be under UN oversight.

The fact is that demands for UN supervision of the Gaza force, as well as a clear roadmap for Palestinian statehood, should be unambiguous parts of any resolution aimed at addressing the Gaza question. As previously mentioned in this space, unless there is UN control over the Gaza peacekeeping force, the deployment may be seen as a front for the US and Israel to enforce their writ over Palestinian territory, rather than as a genuine peacekeeping force.

Moreover, the Trumpian plan envisages the disarming of Hamas. It is a dangerous proposition to use Muslim troops to disarm the Palestinian group in order to succeed where Israel has failed. American officials have also spoken of the force overseeing ‘security’ in Gaza. There needs to be clarification of this term; does it mean security only for Israel? Or will the foreign troops protect Gaza’s civilians from Israeli assaults? Since the ceasefire took effect, Israel has killed at least 240 Palestinians. If this is what a ‘truce’ looks like, we can imagine what the Zionist state will unleash again unless strong curbs are put in place to check its genocidal nature.

Pakistan and all other Muslim states considering participation in the force must therefore discuss and demand the details of this mission. Going in without a clear UN mandate that protects the Palestinian people and commits to a two-state solution, would be inadvisable. In fact, it would be better to stay away from such a scheme. The aim must be to rebuild Gaza, and create the conditions for the liberation of the occupied Palestinian territories and for Palestinian statehood. Anything less than this would be a mirage to further Israeli criminal aims.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2025