Arabic version: كوسوفو تنضم إلى قوة الاستقرار في غزة بقيادة الولايات المتحدة

According to Al Jazeera, Kosovo has formally agreed to join the International Stabilization Force (ISF) planned for Gaza. The small Muslim-majority Balkan country signed a Participating Country Agreement with the United States-backed Board of Peace and the force.

The agreement was signed by Kosovo Security Force Commander Lieutenant-General Bashkim Jashari and US ISF Commander Major-General Jasper Jeffers. A Board of Peace social media post said the accord established Kosovo’s inclusion in the United Nations-mandated force. The board called the signing a landmark event reflecting Kosovo’s commitment to the ISF mission and support for President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

The US-Israeli framework was introduced one year ago to end the war in Gaza. It envisages a multinational security mission tasked with maintaining stability, managing demilitarisation and training a Palestinian police force for post-conflict Gaza. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Albania and Uganda have also been confirmed as troop contributors. Turkiye will not take part after Israel vetoed Ankara’s involvement.

Israel’s government approved key legal measures in July to enable the ISF’s entry into Gaza. An official said the force would operate in full coordination with the Israeli military. However, deployment has faced disagreements over when Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas.

On Monday, Board of Peace high representative Nikolay Mladenov said Israel needed to fulfil commitments under the Gaza peace roadmap for progress to continue. He said discussions with Israel were continuing on implementation. Mladenov told Al Jazeera last month that the deployment mechanism and locations had been determined, and that advance elements should arrive in Gaza soon. In August, the Trump administration told Congress it was committing more than $206m to the force, with an additional $6m intended to repurpose US armoured vehicles.