US allocates $206 million for proposed Gaza peacekeeping force

The administration of US President Donald Trump has notified Congress of its intention to allocate more than $206 million to support a proposed international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip, marking the first tangible US funding for the plan aimed at securing the territory and paving the way for its reconstruction.

According to two notifications dated July 30 and reviewed by Reuters, the US State Department plans to allocate $200 million to cover equipment, infrastructure, vehicles, and operational costs for the force, along with about $6.3 million to reassign US armored vehicles in support of the mission.

The notifications, addressed to the congressional appropriations and foreign affairs committees, had not been previously disclosed. The US administration has not specified the total amount the force will ultimately require.

Stabilization force central to Washington's plan

The proposed funding signals the Trump administration's commitment to advancing its plan for Gaza, despite stalled efforts to meet the necessary conditions for implementation amid ongoing disputes between Israel and Hamas.

One of the State Department notifications explained that the international stabilization force would handle security operations, support disarmament, and facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials to Gaza, as negotiations continue over the final composition of the force.

Trump's plan calls for deploying an international force in areas vacated by Israeli troops, as well as assisting in training a new Palestinian police force and supporting aid delivery operations in the territory.

Trump also established a "Peace Council" to oversee his plan to end the war and rebuild Gaza, where large parts remain devastated following the conflict that erupted after Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

International funding falls short

Member states initially pledged $17 billion for Gaza's reconstruction efforts, but Reuters reported in April that only a small portion of these commitments had been received, while the Peace Council has not disclosed the total funds it has obtained to date.

A council official said US funding is essential for establishing a base for the force inside Gaza and for carrying out other reconstruction-related projects, describing the previous two weeks as having seen "significant progress," prompting the council to seek further funding commitments.

The US State Department did not immediately comment on the report.

Nine armored vehicles to support the force

Another notification included an allocation of about $6.3 million, covering the reassignment of nine US armored personnel carriers previously designated for Nepal, now to be used in support of the international stabilization force.

According to the notification, Albania and Kosovo will be the first countries to receive this equipment as part of their participation in the force.

So far, Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania have pledged to send troops to the stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to training police, though no clear timeline for force deployment has been set.

Disagreements stall plan implementation

Despite Trump's July 30 announcement of what he called a "breakthrough"—saying Hamas had agreed to gradually disarm in tandem with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza—implementation of the roadmap remains stalled.

Hamas said it had agreed to the plan but conditioned its implementation on Israel meeting several demands, including halting attacks and withdrawing from the territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, rejected the agreement and insisted that Israel would not withdraw from Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed.

In an effort to advance negotiations, Jared Kushner, Trump's envoy and son-in-law, held meetings with Hamas officials on Sunday, followed by talks with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem on Monday, but left without progress as both sides maintained their core demands.

An Israeli official told Reuters earlier this week that Netanyahu and Kushner also agreed that Gaza's reconstruction would not begin before Hamas is disarmed.