JERUSALEM — Officers from the Moroccan military have arrived in Israel to join the International Stabilization Force (ISF) established under Board of Peace launched by US President Donald Trump in February, the board announced on Tuesday.
Troops from Morocco, Indonesia, Albania, Kosovo and Greece are expected to join the stabilization force that is supposed to be deployed in the Gaza Strip as part of the second phase of the American peace plan that includes a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territory.
There is still no specific information on the timing of the deployments, but reports indicated that Morocco would team up with Indonesia as the two largest peacekeeping contingents.
A small number of Moroccan planning officers arrived in Israel to take part in discussions on the stabilization force, which could mark an early operational step toward the long-delayed multinational force, according to the Jerursalem Post.
An official from the board separately told AFP on condition of anonymity that the contingent arrived on June 18 at the ISF headquarters in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel.
The contingent is expected to contribute to the development of the force’s overall structure and provide expertise in several areas, including policing, the official said.
He confirmed the presence of four Moroccan officers but did not specify whether the contingent included additional personnel.
“Their arrival strengthens the international effort to support the people of Gaza,” the Board of Peace said on X.
In February, Morocco committed to deploying police officers and military personnel to the Gaza Strip, becoming the first Arab country to do so publicly.
The ISF is expected to include around 5,000 Indonesian soldiers, along with additional contingents from Kazakhstan, Morocco, Albania and Kosovo.
In mid-January, Washington announced the launch of the second phase of Trump’s plan for Gaza aimed at bringing a definitive end to the war triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
In practice, however, little tangible progress has been achieved.
The Trump plan, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, led to the establishment of a ceasefire that took effect in October.
Its second phase provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of the ISF, a project that has been the subject of repeated announcements and discussions but has yet to materialize.
In late February, Hamas said it was open to the presence of such a force in the Gaza Strip, provided it did not interfere in the territory’s internal affairs. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.
Israel now says it controls at least 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, compared with just over half following its pullback on the first day of the truce.
Israel and Hamas accuse each other almost daily of violating the ceasefire amid stalled efforts toward a lasting end to the war.
At least 1,027 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, according to the Hamas?run health ministry in Gaza, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
The Israeli military says it has lost five of its soldiers during the same period.
Source: Saudi Gazette