UN Security Council approves Trump plan for Gaza security force
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Ambassadors vote on the Gaza resolution at the UN Security Council on Monday. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty
The UN Security Council on Monday approved a U.S.-led resolution to establish an international stabilization force (ISF) to deploy to Gaza for at least two years.
Why it matters: The resolution gives President Trump's peace plan additional momentum and international legitimacy. In addition to authorizing the ISF, it also endorses the Board of Peace, which will oversee governance of Gaza and which Trump has said he will chair.
- Getting Arab and Muslim countries on board with the peace plan, keeping Israeli and Palestinian leaders from opposing it, and managing to avoid a veto from Russia or China was a major diplomatic achievement by the Trump administration.
- Trump quickly declared victory on Truth Social and claimed the vote would "go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations."
- But Hamas rejected the resolution, claiming in a statement that giving an international security force a mandate to disarm its fighters "turns it into a party to the conflict" in Israel's favor.
Driving the news: The resolution gives the U.S. and other participating countries a broad mandate to govern Gaza, demilitarize it, and start the process of reconstruction.
- The U.S. wants to deploy the ISF to Gaza as soon as January 2026, with troops from several Arab and Muslim countries taking part.
- Thirteen Security Council members supported the resolution. Russia and China abstained, and no members opposed it.
Breaking it down: The Trump-led Board of Peace will serve as "a transitional governance administration," overseeing the work of a technocratic committee of Palestinians, per the resolution. The board will set priorities and raise funding for reconstruction.
- The ISF will deploy under "unified command acceptable to the Board of Peace," per the resolution. It will train and work alongside a "newly trained and vetted Palestinian police force," and consult closely with Israel and Egypt.
- The ISF's mission includes helping to secure border areas, stabilize the security environment in Gaza and facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid.
- The ISF will be able "to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate consistent with international law, including international humanitarian law."
Friction point: The resolution states that the ISF will "ensure the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip."
- That involves disarming Hamas, which is seen as one of the most sensitive and dangerous issues in the next phase of the peace process.
- According to the resolution, as the ISF establishes control and stability, the Israel military will withdraw from the Gaza Strip "based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization."
- The resolution states that the timetable will be agreed between the Israeli army, the ISF, the U.S. and the other guarantors of the Gaza agreement.
The big picture: The resolution includes a clause that focuses on the possible resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and the establishment of a future Palestinian state.
- The Israeli current government is vehemently opposed to Palestinian statehood, making progress on that issue unlikely in the near future.
- In its statement, Hamas stressed its weapons are "tied to the existence of the occupation," and any discussion of disarmament must come in the context of establishing a Palestinian state.
- The Palestinian Authority welcomed the resolution in a statement and said it must be implemented "urgently and immediately." The PA said it was ready to cooperate with the participating countries to ensure it promotes peace and advances the two-state solution.
This story was updated with additional details throughout.
