US asks 70 nations to join Gaza stabilization force as post-war plans take shape

The U.S. State Department has reportedly asked some 70 nations to contribute to the Gaza stabilization force, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Saturday.

France, Italy, El Salvador and Malta are among the nations that were approached by the United States concerning Gaza. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official told the WSJ that 19 countries have signaled their willingness to contribute troops, equipment or logistical support.

Washington has reportedly also asked affluent Middle East allies, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to contribute funding for deploying the international stabilization force in Gaza.

Last month, a senior U.S. official told Israel's i24 News that the Trump administration hopes to secure a multinational force for deployment in Gaza in early 2026.

However, the international stabilization force plan faces multiple challenges. The WSJ revealed that the unnamed countries that agreed to deploy troops said they would only do so within Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza, within the Yellow Line. The Israeli military currently controls about 53% of the Gaza Strip. It remains unclear whether Washington succeeded in persuading any countries to deploy troops to the approximately 47% of Gaza currently controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas.

The Trump administration, which secured a ceasefire in Gaza in October, envisions an international stabilization force gradually assuming security responsibility in the enclave as part of plans to disarm Hamas. The terrorist organization has sent mixed signals regarding its weapons. Earlier this month, Hamas said it was prepared to discuss “freezing or storing” its arms but refused to fully disarm, as stipulated in the internationally brokered ceasefire.

“We can talk about freezing or storing or laying down, with the Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce,” Hamas political official Bassem Naim told the Associated Press during an interview in Qatar. However, the WSJ reported that Hamas has signaled willingness to decommission its heavy arms under Egyptian supervision. 

It remains unclear how Washington envisions that Hamas will be disarmed in practice. The countries that have signaled willingness to deploy troops have stressed that their soldiers will not fight against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Another sticking point is Turkey, which has reportedly offered to deploy troops in Gaza. While Washington reportedly backs the idea, Israel remains opposed to Turkish troops close to its borders due to the strained Israeli-Turkish relations.

Last month, Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim nation – signaled that it is seeking a key role in Gaza’s post-war reconstruction and the emerging international stabilization force. Indonesia, which does not have official diplomatic relations with Israel, has reportedly offered to deploy some 20.000 troops to Gaza. However, the country has acknowledged that it is not yet ready to implement such a deployment.

“It is still in the planning and preparation stages,” said Rico Sirait, spokesperson for Indonesia's Defense Ministry. “We are now preparing the organizational structure of the forces to be deployed."

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stressed the need for any international force to be practical, effective, and genuinely stabilizing rather than symbolic.

“We have to learn from the mistakes of the past,” Danon said. “You want something constructive and effective, not an international presence that looks good on paper but actually destabilizes the situation."

Israel has said it supports international efforts to disarm Hamas, but has emphasized that the Israeli military will eliminate the group’s military capabilities if the international community does not act.