Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to arrive in Israel on Thursday, bringing with him news that the Trump administration is actively looking into securing a United Nations mandate for an international security force in Gaza. This deployment aims to bring much-needed stability to the volatile region.
Rubio’s visit follows a series of high-level American delegations to Israel, all focused on bolstering the delicate cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which has seen recent strains.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, Rubio emphasized the critical importance of U.S. efforts to ‘keep the cease-fire together.’ Recent violence in Gaza and ongoing disagreements concerning the exchange of Israeli and Palestinian casualties have placed significant pressure on the agreement.
This current truce originated from President Trump’s September proposal, which included the concept of a ‘temporary International Stabilization Force’ for Gaza. The envisioned role for this force is extensive: securing areas from which Israeli troops have pulled back, interdicting illicit arms shipments, ensuring humanitarian aid distribution, and establishing a trained Palestinian police force.
However, the notion of contributing troops to such a force has met with hesitation from several nations. Their reluctance stems from an unclear mandate within the ravaged Palestinian territory and a genuine concern that their personnel could be drawn into direct confrontations with Hamas militants.
Rubio clarified that approaching the UN to secure an international mandate is a strategic move towards establishing robust ‘international defense security forces’ for the region.
Rubio’s arrival in Israel is timed closely with Vice President JD Vance’s departure, highlighting the administration’s intense commitment to maintaining the cease-fire. This week alone has seen other key U.S. figures, including Steve Witkoff (Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy) and Jared Kushner (the president’s son-in-law), making their presence felt in the region.
President Trump had visited the country earlier in the month to commemorate the cease-fire. However, unnamed Trump administration officials have privately expressed apprehension that Prime Minister Netanyahu might withdraw from the agreement.
Prior to his departure, Rubio also announced that U.S. diplomats would soon be stationed at a newly established civil-military coordination center in southern Israel, tasked with monitoring the fragile cease-fire.
Rubio acknowledged the substantial work ahead, stating, ‘There’s a lot of work to be done. But we certainly wanted to make sure that we were there and ensuring that we had the right people in place at the coordination center, which is key to holding this all together.’
Vice President Vance, having toured the coordination center earlier this week, reiterated the administration’s understanding that achieving lasting peace will be a significant challenge.
Many difficult issues remain unresolved, notably President Trump’s 20-point peace proposal’s requirement for Hamas to disarm – a condition the militant group has consistently rejected.
The cease-fire, implemented earlier this month, prompted an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and facilitated the exchange of the final 20 Israeli hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
However, this week brought new complications when Israeli lawmakers advanced a preliminary measure to annex the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This action directly contradicts the stipulations of President Trump’s peace plan.
On Wednesday, Rubio explicitly stated his opposition to Israel’s annexation of the territory, labeling the move as ‘potentially threatening to the peace deal.’