The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has revealed new details about the US plan for Gaza governance, the International Stabilization Force (ISF), and Hamas disarmament.
Speaking at a year-end press conference on Friday, Rubio stated that Gaza’s Board of Peace will be in place very soon, followed by the deployment of the ISF. He also noted that Hamas disarmament is critical for long-term stability and reconstruction.
Gaza Governance Board
Rubio said the US is working with partners from multiple countries to maintain the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel and move to phase two of the deal, which includes the formation of the “Board of Peace.”
“It is so critical and so key, that we move to complete this first phase, that we move to put in place the Board of Peace, get everybody to agree to be a part of it, move to put in place this Palestinian technocratic organization,” he said.
“No one is arguing that the status quo is sustainable in the long term, nor desirable. And that’s why we have a sense of urgency about bringing phase one to its full completion, which is the establishment of the Board of Peace and the Palestinian technocratic authority or organization that’s going to be on the ground, and then the stabilization force comes closely thereafter,” Rubio added.
Trump Peace Plan for Gaza
Under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, endorsed by the UN in November, the Board of Peace, headed by Trump alongside other members and heads of State, will be formed.
This international transitional body will oversee a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee – made up of qualified Palestinians and international experts – which will handle delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza.
Moreover, it will establish the framework and manage the funding for the Strip’s redevelopment until the completion of the Palestinian Authority (PA) reform program.
Trump said that he will reveal the names of world leaders and officials taking part in the Gaza Board of Peace in early 2026. He also said that the ISF deployment is expected in early next year.
Senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye were scheduled to meet with Trump’s Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Miami, Florida on Friday to discuss ways to advance the second phase of the Gaza agreement.
Humanitarian Situation
The US top diplomat pointed to the urgency of forming the international governance body and the ISF to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“When you have this technocratic Palestinian group in place and a stabilization force to provide security, it now allows us to have someone we can work with to turn over the humanitarian aid to and have them be the ones that help distribute it along with these international partners,” Rubio said.
He also noted that this will be important for Gaza reconstruction efforts. “Once we’ve established that, we have a lot of confidence that we are going to have the donors for the reconstruction effort and for all the humanitarian support in the long-term building of phase two and phase three,” he said.
ISF Deployment
In his remarks to reporters, Rubio said that many countries want to join the ISF in Gaza, but they need clarity on the force’s mandate and funding.
“I think we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit. But I feel very confident that we have a number of nation-states acceptable to all sides in this who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilization force,” Rubio noted.
The US State Secretary revealed that Pakistan is one of the countries willing to contribute troops to Gaza ISF. “We’re very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to be a part of it, or at least their offer to consider being a part of it,” he said.
The ISF, authorized by the UN, will be formed and deployed in the plan’s second phase. This force will work with Israel, Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help maintain security and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.
Hamas Disarmament
One of the sticking issues in Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza is disarming Hamas. The Palestinian group has long insisted it will not give up its arms, with media reports suggesting it might hand over heavy weapons but retain smaller ones.
On this matter, Rubio said that peace cannot be achieved if Hamas “is ever in a position in the future that they can threaten or attack Israel,” stressing that Hamas disarmament is “so critical.”
“I would just ask everyone to focus on what are the kind of weaponries and capabilities that Hamas would need in order to threaten or attack Israel as a baseline for what disarmament needs to look like,” he added.
“Now, what that entails, we’re going to leave that to the technical teams to work on,” Rubio noted.
Hamas has stressed its right armed resistance, rejecting to give up its weapons until Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian territories and an independent Palestinian State is established.
Moreover, Hamas Chief in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, categorically rejected “all forms of guardianship or mandate over the Gaza Strip or any inch of our occupied land,” saying that the ISF should be limited to “maintaining the ceasefire and separating the parties along the Gaza Strip’s border.”
