Discussions within the government and the military are at an advanced stage to finalise whether Pakistan will be sending troops to Gaza as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF).
Official sources have told news outlets that Pakistan is leaning towards sending troops to secure Gaza, for the international peace-keeping mission.
The ISF is part of the US-brokered peace agreement and consists of troops from Muslim-majority countries.
The force will maintain internal security, help in disarming Hamas, secure borders and also help with humanitarian relief. They will be working under a transitional Palestinian authority and help with reconstruction of the city.
The US has already stated that they will not be sending US soldiers and the force might include troops from Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar and Azerbaijan.
Turkey was also on the list but Israel has openly opposed Turkey’s inclusion in the ISF because of the Turkish President Tayyib Erdogan’s open criticism of Israel. Israeli PM Netanyahu has also said that Israel will decide who to allow in Gaza and hinted that Turkey would not be included.
Israeli media has reported that members of the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee were told during a closed-door briefing that the ISF would comprise troops from Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia, and would help Israel in ‘securing borders and preventing weapons being smuggled into the territory’.
Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Jordan and Egypt recently, while reports have come to light post his visit. His visit was described as promoting ties but reports suggest that implementation of the Gaza peace plan was also discussed in depth.
Both the meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II included appreciation and acknowledgement of Pakistan’s role and contribution towards peace and regional security.
There is little information yet about how the security force will be deployed, but according to news sources, an unnamed Pakistani official has stated that Pakistan prefers it be under a UN mandate.
In the past, Pakistan has deployed more than 200,000 Pakistanis to the United Nations peace force, across 40 operations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.