ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is considering sending troops to Gaza as part of a proposed Muslim nations’ peacekeeping force, following the unveiling of a new Middle East peace initiative by US President Donald Trump.
Foreign minister Ishaq Dar confirmed on Tuesday that Pakistan’s top leadership is weighing participation in the multinational deployment. “The force [here] is a peacekeeping force. On the ground, there will be Palestinian law-enforcement agencies… and supporting forces. Indonesia has already offered 20,000 troops. I am sure Pakistan’s leadership will also be making a decision on this,” Dar said at a press conference in Islamabad.
He explained the plan envisions an independent Palestinian technocratic government, overseen by an international body, with arrangements documented at the UN Security Council.
Dar said the proposal was discussed last week during a preparatory meeting in New York between Trump and leaders from eight Muslim countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The objectives, he added, included securing a ceasefire in Gaza, facilitating humanitarian aid, halting forced displacement, arranging the return of refugees, and ensuring reconstruction while blocking Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Trump’s 20-Point Plan
On Monday, Trump presented a 20-point peace plan, demanding Hamas’s disarmament, the release of all hostages within 72 hours, and a phased Israeli withdrawal. Hamas would be excluded from Gaza’s future governance; militants willing to surrender arms would receive amnesty, while others could leave via safe passage.
The plan proposes Gaza be administered temporarily by a technocratic Palestinian committee, overseen by an international “Board of Peace” led by Trump and including former UK PM Tony Blair, until the Palestinian Authority undergoes reform.
Humanitarian aid would be delivered through UN agencies and the Red Crescent, with reconstruction carried out under a “New Gaza” framework. Trump warned Hamas it had only “three to four days” to accept the terms or face “a very sad end.”
Saudi Arabia, Dar added, had circulated a draft joint statement to Muslim nations, later revised with Pakistan’s input. The Palestinian Authority welcomed the initiative.
