The Trump administration is sending over $206 million to Congress for a proposed Gaza peacekeeping force, marking the first significant cash for the stalled US plan to restore the ravaged region. In two July 30-dated notifications seen by Reuters, the State Department informed Congress that it will provide $200 million for the International Stabilization Force’s (ISF) equipment, infrastructure, vehicles, and operations expenditures. An additional $6 million would go toward repurposing US armoured vehicles to support the force.
The notices, sent to key appropriations and foreign affairs committees in Congress, had not previously been published. The funding is the first concrete US investment in the peacekeeping force and demonstrates the administration’s desire to move forward with Trump’s Gaza roadmap despite the fact that both Israel and Hamas have balked at the criteria required to progress the plan. “The ISF will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction material to Gaza,” one of the notifications read. However, the final composition of the force is still being negotiated.
The administration has not stated how much money will be required to fund the force. Trump established a Board of Peace to supervise his ambitious plan to end Israel’s conflict in Gaza and reconstruct the devastated region. His plan envisioned that the peacekeeping force would deploy to Gaza to safeguard regions after Israeli forces withdrew, train new Palestinian police forces, and support relief delivery.
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