US seeks two-year UN mandate for Gaza stabilisation force - a key part of Trump plan

Destroyed buildings sin the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in northwest Gaza City on October 24, 2025. The United States is seeking a mandate of at least two years from the United Nations Security Council for an international stabilisation force to be deployed in Gaza. Photo / Saher Alghorra, The New York Times

The United States is seeking a mandate of at least two years from the United Nations Security Council for an international stabilisation force to be deployed in the Gaza Strip, a key element of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for a long-term end to the war there.

According to a draft resolution, seen by the New York Times, the force would work with Israel and Egypt to ensure the process of demilitarising Gaza, including the “permanent decommissioning” of weapons from armed groups.

It would also train and support Palestinian police personnel, protect civilians, and work to secure humanitarian corridors.

The New York Times confirmed the contents of the draft resolution with three officials, including two European diplomats. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

The draft resolution was first reported by the news site Axios.

It was not clear how the international force would ensure that Gaza is demilitarised.

Hamas has long regarded giving up all its weapons as tantamount to surrender, with armed struggle against Israel a crucial part of its ideology.

A UN Security Council mandate is seen as necessary to persuade many countries to consider sending troops to Gaza.

The deployment of international troops could reinforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and reduce the likelihood of renewed confrontation between Israel and Hamas, analysts say.

“We hope it is peacekeeping,” King Abdullah of Jordan said in a BBC interview aired last week, referring to the purpose of the force.

“Because if it is peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that. Peacekeeping is that you’re sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians.”

It is not clear whether the draft would have enough support at the Security Council to be approved.

Nine of the 15 members would need to vote in favour of it, and all five permanent members, including Russia and China, would have to abstain from a veto.

The draft is largely in line with Trump’s plan, which was first presented in September.

It says the force would operate under the guidance of an international body known as the “Board of Peace”, and that its mandate would expire on December 31, 2027. The draft suggests that date could be extended.

A number of countries have been skittish about committing soldiers to the force, fearing they could potentially come into direct conflict with Hamas, diplomats and other people familiar with the deliberations told the New York Times in October.

Analysts say that Arab states would be unlikely to deploy soldiers in Gaza if their participation was not connected to a pathway to Palestinian statehood, which Israel’s Government opposes.

Although the document refers to Trump’s plan, which includes a vague reference to Palestinian statehood, it does not explicitly refer to a future Palestinian state or a pathway to establishing one.

The draft resolution would also sideline the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, until it completes unspecified changes.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Adam Rasgon, Catherine Porter and Michael D. Shear

Photograph by: Saher Alghorra

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