US provides $206 million for Gaza force despite deadlocked peace plan

Washington: President Donald Trump's administration has told Congress it is sending more than $206 million for a proposed Gaza peacekeeping force, the first significant funding for the stalled U.S. plan to rebuild the devastated enclave.

In two July 30-dated notifications seen by Reuters, the State Department informed Congress it will provide $200 million for the International Stabilization Force's (ISF) equipment, infrastructure, vehicles and operational costs. An additional $6 million would repurpose U.S. armored vehicles to support the force.

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The notifications, which were addressed to key appropriations and foreign affairs committees in Congress, have not been previously reported. The funding is the first concrete ‌U.S. spending on the peacekeeping ⁠force and ⁠signals the administration's determination to press ahead with Trump's Gaza roadmap even as both Israel and Hamas have balked at conditions needed to advance the plan.

"The ISF will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and enable the safe delivery ​of humanitarian aid and reconstruction material to Gaza," one of the notifications said, while noting the final composition of the force was still being negotiated.

The administration has not said how much money ​will ultimately be needed to fund the force. Trump set up a Board of Peace to oversee his ambitious plan to end Israel's war in Gaza and rebuild the shattered territory. His plan envisioned that the peacekeeping force would deploy to Gaza to secure areas after Israeli forces withdraw and would train new Palestinian police forces and support aid deliveries.

Much of ​Gaza remains in ruins from two years of war triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October ⁠7, 2023. But since ‌the announcement of an agreement in late July, the effort has stalled, with both Israel and Hamas refusing to fulfill conditions that would ​allow the deal to move ​ahead. Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner held meetings with Hamas officials on Sunday and Israeli leaders on Monday in Jerusalem but left ⁠without a breakthrough, with both sides standing firm on key demands.

An official from the Board of Peace ​described the last two weeks as a period of "significant advances" and said the board had sought additional funding pledges as a ​result. The official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely with media, said the funding was needed for the construction of a base for forces inside Gaza among other reconstruction projects.

Member countries had initially pledged $17 billion for reconstruction efforts inside Gaza but Reuters reported in April that only a fraction of the funds had been received.

The Board of Peace has not made public the amount that it has received so far. "We are committed to the full implementation of the President's historic 21-point peace plan, of which the ISF is a key component," State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said in an emailed statement, adding that the administration was encouraged by the "steady progress" by the Board of Peace.

A separate State Department official ‌confirmed the agency sent the notification, describing the funding as "initial" and added that it would continue to support the work of the Board of Peace.

STALLED PLAN On July 30, Trump announced what he described as a breakthrough: that Hamas had agreed to lay down its arms in phases, as Israel's ​military withdraws from Gaza. ​Hamas said it agreed to the roadmap but implementation ⁠depends on Israel first meeting its own commitments, including halting attacks and withdrawing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition trails in opinion polls ahead of an October national election, rejected the deal this month, insisting that Israel would not pull back until Hamas is completely disarmed. Five countries have committed troops to the ISF so far: Indonesia, Morocco, ​Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to train police.

It remains unclear when any troops would be able to deploy. The first of the two congressional notifications addressed the $200 million in funding.

The second, with the same date and worth around $6.3 million, said the U.S. was repurposing nine armored personnel carriers previously destined for Nepal to support the ISF and that Albania and Kosovo would be the initial recipients of this equipment as part of their role in the ISF.

The ceasefire plan reduced violence in Gaza but has not ended Israeli attacks or secured the militants' disarmament. More than 1,200 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached in October, according to Gazan health officials and the Israeli military.