US troops and Gaza

The deployment of American troops to Israel this weekend marks the start of an extraordinarily complex effort to secure a fragile peace in Gaza and establish a framework to govern the enclave.

Nearly 200 troops under Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command are due to arrive in Israel by Sunday to establish a coordination center that will monitor the cease-fire and organize the flow of humanitarian aid, logistics and security assistance to Gaza.

U.S. officials reaffirmed Friday that there are no plans for those troops—mainly planners, transportation and engineering specialists, and security experts—to set foot in Gaza.

Even so, officials are already discussing the creation of a thousands-strong “International Stabilization Force,” whose mission would be to secure the enclave. Its composition has yet to be determined, but it could draw on troops from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Indonesia and possibly several Central Asian nations.

The U.S. role is notable for an administration that has long shunned nation-building missions abroad and has emphasized defending the Western Hemisphere. But current and former officials say an American political and military role is essential to cement the cease-fire and turn the first phase of the White House’s Gaza plan into a lasting peace.

The effort to recruit and support the stabilization force will run alongside plans to form a governing body for Gaza that would provide essential services after the conflict that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Under Trump’s plan, Gaza would be administered by a technocratic Palestinian committee overseen by a “Board of Peace.” Trump would chair the board, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would also have a role.

Assembling that technocratic committee could prove challenging. About 30,000 technical, administrative and security personnel in Gaza are on the Palestinian Authority’s payroll and could potentially help maintain essential services and begin a transition to Palestinian administration of the enclave, as envisioned in Trump’s plan, a former U.S. official said. Trump’s earlier talk of relocating Palestinians out of Gaza—which drew widespread regional criticism—has been shelved.

Preliminary planning for a stabilization force during the Biden administration envisioned a U.S. role involving logistics, transport, intelligence and support. Those efforts were to be overseen by an American general based in Egypt, the presumed entry point for the Arab and other international forces deploying to Gaza.

That approach reflected recognition that the U.S. military has unique capabilities for organizing expeditionary operations and answered Arab appeals for American involvement. But the Biden administration ruled out putting troops in Gaza and instead considered having an Egyptian or Emirati commander lead the force.

The White House has emphasized to its MAGA constituency that no U.S. troops will enter the enclave. “No U.S. troops are intended to go into Gaza,” a second senior official said. “It’s really just to help create the joint control center and integrate the other security forces going in.”

A central question among diplomats and former officials is whether Trump and his team will sustain the diplomatic pressure that led to the imminent hostage release. “Will this be sustained beyond the declaration of a Trumpian victory?” one former official said. “All of this will take extraordinary leverage to make happen.”