Israel Reportedly Blocks International Peacekeeping Force Base in Gaza

The British newspaper The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Israel is preventing the entry of equipment needed to construct a base for the first 150 soldiers of an international peacekeeping force in the Gaza Strip. The force is being established under the auspices of a peace council associated with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to the report, the peace council awarded a contract in August to the American construction company Arkel International to build the fortified military outpost. The planned base would cover a 100x100 meter area and is intended to house the initial contingent of soldiers. This force is part of a larger 500-soldier deployment, with troops already sent from Kosovo and Morocco.

However, the project has stalled for nearly two months due to a lack of Israeli approval. An informed source told The Guardian that Israeli officials are not allowing personnel or equipment trucks to enter Gaza to begin construction. "Israel is not opening the border," the source stated, explaining that without the peacekeeping force, reconstruction efforts, security, and the delivery of building materials are impossible.

Neither the IDF nor the Israeli government has commented on the report. The peace council also declined to respond officially. This development comes after a separate report indicated that Israel had approved a U.S. company, working for the peace council, to enter Gaza to identify sites for Hamas to hand over weapons for destruction, a key step in Trump's plan for Gaza's disarmament and Israeli withdrawal.