What is the international stabilisation force for Gaza?

US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz and the UK's Deputy Ambassador to the UN James Kariuki vote on a US-sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council in New York City, US, November 17, 2025 Eduardo MunozReutersPublished On 18 Nov 202518 Nov 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2SharefacebooktwitterwhatsappcopylinkSaveOn Monday, the UN Security Council passed a US-sponsored resolution which backs US President Donald Trumps 20-point plan for ending Israels war on Gaza.Among the clauses was one that supported the creation and deployment of an international stabilisation force (ISF) to provide security and oversight of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US House votes on releasing Epstein files: What to expectlist 2 of 3Onboard video captures crash of plane carrying DR Congo minister list 3 of 3Has technology transformed childhood or hijacked it?end of listIn theory, this security body will work with Israel and Egypt to demilitarise the Gaza Strip and will reportedly train a Palestinian police force.Despite the passing of a resolution that acknowledges the parties have accepted the Trump plan, Israeli air strikes on Gaza continued, including on areas on the Palestinian side of the yellow line. So what is the ISF, and what does it mean for Gaza? Heres what you need to know:What is the ISF?The ISF is envisioned as a multinational force that would deploy to Gaza to help train police, secure the borders, maintain security by helping demilitarise Gaza, protect civilians and humanitarian operations, including securing humanitarian corridors, among additional tasks as may be necessary in support of the Comprehensive Plan.Essentially, the force would take over many of the security responsibilities that have been managed by Hamas over the last 19 years.Since 2006, Hamas has been in charge of governing the Gaza Strip, including managing its social and security services.Trumps Comprehensive Plan was formulated with no input from Palestinian parties. Who makes up the force?That is still unclear, though under the resolution, the forces will work with Israel and Egypt and a newly trained Palestinian police force that will not be under Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. Advertisement A senior adviser to Trump said Azerbaijan and Indonesia had offered to send troops.He also said Egypt, Qatar and the UAE were in talks about contributing, though a senior Emirati official, Anwar Gargash, said his country would not participate. Reports have said Egypt could lead the force.In October, Turkiyes President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was ready to provide support to Gaza.But as tensions have heated up between Turkiye and Israel, the latters Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel would not agree to Turkish troops on the ground in Gaza. And how did the vote go?It passed with a 13-0 vote.But Russia and China abstained, expressing concern over the lack of Palestinian participation in the force and the lack of a clear role for the UN in the future of Gaza.Russia had earlier proposed its own resolution that was inspired by the US draft.Russias version requests that the UN secretary-general be involved in identifying potential options to participate in the international stabilisation force for Gaza.It did not mention Trumps so-called board of peace that would act as a transitional administration in Gaza. What was Hamass response?They rejected the resolution. The group released a statement on social messaging app Telegram, saying the vote imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip.Under Trumps plan, Hamas would have no role in Gaza and would be disarmed, with its personnel offered two options: either commit to coexistence or be granted safe passage out of Gaza.Hamas has repeatedly said it would give up governance but is not willing to give up its arms.For his part, Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, recently that the war has not ended and that Hamas would be disarmed.