Are we closer to a Gaza international peace force after Istanbul meeting?

Foreign ministers from Arab, Islamic states have met to discuss Gaza ceasefire and an international peace force.

Foreign ministers from seven Arab and Islamic-majority countries have met in Turkiye’s largest city Istanbul to discuss the possibility of establishing an international stabilisation force in Gaza, as well as the ceasefire in the territory. One of the aims of the meeting on Monday was to get the countries closer to establishing the force, which would help maintain the ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, which has been on rocky ground since it came into effect on October 10.

Foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia attended the meeting alongside their Turkish counterpart. Some of them may contribute troops to a stablisation force.

What is the status of the Gaza international stabilisation force?

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed reporters after the meeting, and said that conversations were still ongoing over the proposed international force for Gaza, which was included in United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The body, which is expected to manage security inside the Gaza Strip, is still unformed and its responsibilities have still not been publicly defined.

Fidan said that the countries attending the meeting would “decide, based on the contents of this definition, whether to send soldiers or not”.

Several countries involved in Monday’s meeting have previously called for a United Nations Security Council resolution establishing the force if they are to be involved. And the potential members of the force want its mandate to be clearly defined.