Egypt Poised to Lead UN-Backed Gaza Stabilization Force

Egypt is anticipated to lead an international stabilization force in Gaza under a proposed United Nations mandate, according to diplomatic sources. The force aims to oversee security in the region following the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.

The United States and European partners are reportedly preparing a UN Security Council resolution to authorize the mission without establishing it as a full-fledged UN peacekeeping operation. This approach seeks to grant the force broad powers similar to those given to international troops in Haiti to combat armed groups.

Turkey, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan are among the countries expected to contribute troops alongside Egypt. While no European or British troops are anticipated to participate directly, the United Kingdom has deployed advisers to a coordination unit operated by the US inside Israel. This unit is tasked with implementing the second phase of a 20-point plan drafted by US President Donald Trump.

British officials have emphasized that the long-term objective remains the establishment of a Palestinian state encompassing Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The UK has been training a contingent of Palestinian police officers, but under the new proposal, the international force would assume primary security responsibilities.

The proposed force's duties include protecting civilians, distributing aid, and securing the reconstruction process. However, one of the most contentious elements involves the decommissioning of Hamas weapons. British officials are drawing on lessons from Northern Ireland’s peace process, where weapons controlled by both the IRA and loyalist groups were put beyond use under independent supervision.

The UK also appears to support a role for former Prime Minister Tony Blair on a newly proposed "board of peace," outlined in Trump's plan, which would oversee the work of a 15-member committee of Palestinian technocrats. Blair's potential appointment has drawn backing from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who stated, "Tony Blair is a person acceptable to the Iraqis and a friend, having contributed to the decision to go to war with President Bush, at the time, and to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime." He added, "(Blair) is a great friend of the Iraqis and visits us often and I also hold meetings with him. We certainly wish him success in this mission and we will support him."

Blair's position on the board, which will be chaired by Trump, is expected to be confirmed by early November, ahead of a major reconstruction conference in Cairo that Egypt will host to mobilize donor and private sector funding for Gaza’s recovery. Officials estimate the cost of rebuilding Gaza to exceed $67 billion, requiring contributions from Gulf donors and significant private investment.

Questions remain over the precise relationship between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the proposed board. PA Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian stated that her government had learned from past mistakes and was intent on reform. Speaking at a conference in Naples organized by Italian think tank IPSI, she said one of the PA’s key initiatives was overhauling its education curriculum.

"If we develop that curriculum to the best standards of the world but children that are taught that curriculum continue to live under dire occupation, will that give them a narrative of peace? No," she said. "What will bring them a narrative of peace, and internalize it, is when children do not experience, on a daily basis, checkpoints, a humiliation, trees being uprooted, the farms being burned and the fathers killed."