US sets up Gaza border base for international force deployment

US military personnel have converted an Israeli army base near the Gaza Strip border into a secured facility and received approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for an initial deployment of approximately 250 foreign troops, Israeli media reported on Monday.

Multinational composition and Israeli concerns

Countries that have expressed willingness to participate include Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Uganda and Albania, according to the Israeli news site Walla. Kazakhstan has offered medical and logistical assistance, while Kosovo has proposed contributing to security and policing missions, the report said.

"The Israeli military establishment’s concerns stem from the policy the United States may adopt toward Israel and from the speed at which the force could be deployed inside Gaza," Walla said. It added that such fears had grown amid indications senior US administration officials could adopt a tougher approach toward Israel following the Democratic Party’s victory in both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

US base conversion and equipment

Unnamed Israeli military officials said foreign officers accompanied by US personnel had been observed around the Gaza border during the past two weeks, while the US military has transferred trucks, armored personnel carriers, medical evacuation vehicles and machine-gun-equipped armored vehicles to the facility. The site — originally an Israeli base within the area of responsibility of the army’s Southern Brigade — has been surrounded by reinforced fencing, guard towers, surveillance equipment and lighting systems, with armed US soldiers providing round-the-clock security, according to Walla.

"It is not inconceivable that the Gaza Division and Southern Command could wake up one day to find an international force larger than the Gaza Division itself," an unnamed Israeli security official told Walla. The official added that "Israel must be prepared for various diplomatic and security scenarios that could have implications on the ground."

Rafah city project and casualties

The outlet also reported that work is advancing on a UAE-backed project to establish a city on part of Rafah in southern Gaza, with engineering work underway in preparation for receiving tens of thousands of Palestinians who would undergo strict security screening including Israeli checks. The international force is expected to secure the city area during the project’s initial phase, though unnamed security officials said the number of Palestinians screened and permitted to enter the compound would initially be limited as a pilot project with no established timetable.

More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 injured in Gaza since October 2023, while around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 1,602 Palestinians and injured 5,794 others, most of them women and children, while Israel has continued to restrict the agreed entry of food, medicines and shelter materials into Gaza, where around 2.4 million Palestinians live including some 2.15 million displaced people.