Gaza: Delay in forming international force heightens tension and boosts Turkish-Qatari role
Pessimism is rising over progress in the next phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan, amid reports of a deadlock caused by US difficulties in setting up the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which was supposed to be deployed in Gaza “the following day.”
Sources speaking to the Israeli site Yedioth Ahronoth said that “the failure to set up the force will delay the disarmament of Hamas, and eventually Israel may have no choice but to dismantle Hamas itself. The situation is very complicated, and the movement is not making any noise about giving up its weapons.”
According to the sources, “The Americans are struggling to form the stabilisation force, which was supposed to begin its work after a UN Security Council resolution. But now it is stuck. This is not just because no country has expressed readiness to join the force, but also because some countries that had agreed, like Azerbaijan, have frozen their participation due to Turkish pressure. There is a sense that the force is not being formed.”
The sources added that the two countries trying to fill the current gap in Gaza are Turkey and Qatar – whose senior officials met in Egypt yesterday – and they are coordinating with the United States. “Israel does not like this, but it fears that Turkish and Qatari involvement will be imposed if no other force enters Gaza.”