NEW YORK: The United States has circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution seeking approval for an International Security Force (ISF) in Gaza with a mandate of at least two years, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing a copy of the document obtained by the news site.
The draft, described as “sensitive but unclassified,” would give participating countries a broad authority to provide security, stabilise the Palestinian enclave and support a transition of governance in Gaza through the end of 2027, with the possibility of extensions, Axios reported.
A US official, cited by Axios, said the Gaza security force is intended to be an “enforcement force and not a peacekeeping force”.
He said that Washington aims to put the draft to a Security Council vote in the coming weeks and deploy the first troops by January.
The international force would operate “in consultation with the Gaza ‘Board of Peace’,” which the draft says President Donald Trump would chair.
According to the draft, cited by Axios, the ISF would be empowered to “use all necessary measures” consistent with international law to secure Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, protect civilians and humanitarian corridors, and train a new Palestinian police force to partner with it.
According to the document, the force will also be tasked with demilitarising the Gaza Strip, including destroying or preventing the rebuilding of military and offensive infrastructure and permanently decommissioning weapons held by non-state armed groups.
That wording suggests the mandate could include disarming Hamas if it fails to do so voluntarily.
Transitional governance and aid arrangements
The draft further proposes empowering the Board of Peace as a transitional governing administration. The board would supervise a Palestinian technocratic committee from Gaza responsible for day-to-day civil administration until the Palestinian Authority completes reforms required to resume governance.
Aid delivery would be coordinated through organisations working with the board — including the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent — and the draft warns that groups found to misuse or divert assistance could be barred.
Regional responses and troop offers
The proposed security force is a key element of a US-brokered Gaza peace agreement that helped secure a ceasefire on October 10.
Several countries, including Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Egypt and Turkiye, have told US and international partners they may be willing to contribute troops, Axios previously reported.
Turkiye, which helped broker elements of the ceasefire, has emphasised that any international force must have a clear UN mandate and legitimacy.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that countries will decide whether to commit troops based on the wording of a Security Council resolution and that a consensus on the draft must be reached before a vote.
Fidan also noted that deployments would require a mandate free from vetoes by permanent council members. Reuters reported Fidan’s remarks after a ministerial meeting in Istanbul attended by foreign ministers from several Muslim countries.
At the Istanbul meeting, participants — including foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Turkiye and Indonesia — said Gaza’s future must be Palestinian-led and warned against “a new system of tutelage,” according to statements reported after the talks.
They stressed the importance of an authorised UN framework under which countries could decide on troop contributions. The Muslim countries also demanded immediate and complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Major hurdles ahead
Diplomats say securing Security Council approval is likely to be difficult. Any draft must satisfy permanent members and secure sufficient international backing for both the force’s mandate and the proposed Board of Peace, as well as clarify command arrangements and legal protections for troops.
The draft’s language calling for robust powers, including demilitarisation and the use of “all necessary measures,” is likely to prompt intense negotiation over scope, oversight and compliance with international humanitarian law.
So far, it is not clear which countries will ultimately participate in the proposed Gaza security force and under what conditions.
Turkish officials have indicated they want guarantees that the force will operate within a UN mandate and avoid replacing the Palestinian Authority.
