US general reveals make-up of Gaza peacekeeping force
Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania are ready to deploy peacekeeping forces to Gaza, US Major-General Jasper Jeffers has said during the first ‘Board of Peace’ meeting in Washington on Thursday. The troops are to serve in the International Stabilization Force (ISF), while Egypt and Jordan are to train the Palestinian police.
“In the short term, we’re going to deploy to the Rafah sector first, in addition to training police. The midterm objective is to continue to expand sector by sector, moving to our long-term target of 12,000 police and 20,000 ISF soldiers,” Jeffers revealed.
During the meeting, an Executive Board member, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, also pledged to rebuild 100,000 homes in Rafah city to house 500,000 residents. Over time, 400,000 more homes will be built in other parts of Gaza, he claimed.
Reports indicate that around 26 countries have reportedly formally joined the Board of Peace and are designated as founding members, sending high level representatives to the inaugural meeting in Washington. Formally established in mid-January as part of Trump’s Gaza peace roadmap, permanent membership beyond the initial three years reportedly requires a contribution of $1 billion.
The Board has already pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory.
