Trump Officials Plan 5,000-Person Gaza Base for Multinational Force
Trump Officials Plan 5,000-Person Gaza Base for Multinational Force
Exclusive: records reveal a 350-acre Gaza compound designed as a base for a future multinational force, raising questions about governance and engagement rules.
The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza, sprawling more than 350 acres, according to records reviewed by the Guardian. The site is envisioned as a military operating base for a future International Stabilization Force (ISF), planned as a multinational military force composed of pledged troops. The ISF is part of the newly created Board of Peace which is meant to govern Gaza. The Board of Peace is chaired by Donald Trump and led in part by his son-in-law Jared Kushner. The plans reviewed by the Guardian call for the phased construction of a military outpost that will eventually have a footprint of 1,400 metres by 1,100 metres, ringed by 26 trailer-mounted armored watch towers, a small arms range, bunkers, and a warehouse for military equipment for operations. The entire base will be encircled with barbed wire. The fortification is planned for an arid stretch of flatlands in southern Gaza strewn with saltbush and white broom shrubs, and littered with twisted metal from years of Israeli bombardment. The Guardian has reviewed video of the area. A source close to the planning tells the Guardian that a small group of bidders – international construction companies with experience in war zones – have already been shown the area in a site visit. The Indonesian government has reportedly offered to send up to 8,000 troops. Indonesia’s president was one of four south-east Asian leaders scheduled to attend an inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington DC on Thursday. The UN security council authorized the Board of Peace to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza . The ISF, according to the UN, will be tasked with securing Gaza’s border and maintaining peace within the area. It’s also supposed to protect civilians, and train and support “ vetted Palestinian police forces ”. It is unclear what the ISF’s rules of engagement would be if there is combat, renewed bombing by Israel.
