Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that an international peacekeeping force will soon be deployed in the Gaza Strip to help secure what he described as a “sustainable peace” following the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The move, he said, aims to stabilize the territory after two years of war and ongoing tension despite the recent truce.
Speaking during a stop in Doha en route to Asia, President Trump said efforts to consolidate peace in Gaza are “making progress” and revealed that Qatar has expressed willingness to contribute troops to the peace mission if required. “Peace in Gaza must be sustainable,” Trump emphasized, reiterating that international coordination will be key to maintaining stability.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Washington is considering several proposals to establish a multinational peacekeeping force under either a United Nations mandate or a new international agreement. Rubio, who spoke to reporters while traveling between Israel and Qatar, said, “Many countries have shown interest in participating, financially, militarily, or both. Such a deployment would likely require a U.N. resolution or an international treaty, as domestic laws in several nations demand formal authorization.”
He added that the proposal will be discussed in Qatar on Sunday, noting that a dedicated U.S. team is already drafting the operational framework for the mission.
Despite the ongoing ceasefire, the Israeli army announced on Saturday that it had carried out a precision airstrike in central Gaza, targeting a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement allegedly plotting an imminent attack. The military stated that the strike in the Nuseirat area was “carefully executed” and intended to neutralize what it called an immediate threat to Israeli forces.
The airstrike occurred shortly after Secretary Rubio’s departure from Israel, concluding a week of high-level U.S. diplomatic visits aimed at reinforcing the ceasefire that has been in effect since October 10. American officials, including Rubio and senior White House advisors, have been working closely with regional partners to prevent renewed escalation and lay the groundwork for Gaza’s stabilization and reconstruction.
The proposed international peace force represents the most ambitious step yet in Washington’s post-war strategy for Gaza, combining security guarantees with humanitarian and reconstruction initiatives. While details remain under negotiation, the plan signals a renewed U.S. effort to engage regional and global actors, including Qatar and Indonesia in maintaining a lasting peace in one of the Middle East’s most volatile regions.
