Diplomatic and military discussions centered on expanding the planned U.S.-backed international security force for Gaza have advanced this week, with delegations from Uganda and Burundi holding closed-door talks with Israeli and U.S. Board of Peace officials last week in Tel Aviv, multiple anonymous sources have confirmed to the Associated Press. The proposed force is a core component of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace framework crafted to sustain the region’s fragile current ceasefire.
A senior Board of Peace official, who requested anonymity as talks with potential contributing nations remain confidential ahead of any final agreement, confirmed that the Ugandan and Burundian delegations held knowledge-sharing sessions during the visit. Uganda is moving quickly to finalize its participation plans, after its parliament formally approved a troop contribution for the mission earlier this month, while Burundi has not yet concluded its internal negotiations, though senior officials have signaled clear intent to join the initiative.
A separate Burundian military source, also speaking anonymously to the AP, confirmed the country’s delegation was led by three senior military officers, adding that Burundi’s leadership remains committed to moving forward with the deployment. Details on the exact size of the contingent both nations will contribute, as well as any potential financial or strategic compensation they will receive for their participation, have not been made public, and military spokespeople for both countries have not responded to repeated requests for comment from international media.
If Burundi formalizes its commitment, the two East African nations will join a growing list of countries that have already pledged personnel to the force, including Morocco, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, and Albania. To date, Uganda has pledged approximately 1,200 troops, Morocco has committed up to 500, and the three remaining nations collectively have offered around 80 personnel. Indonesia, which previously announced plans to deploy 8,000 troops — the largest proposed contribution by any nation — has put its deployment plans on hold following the U.S.-Israeli military strike on Iran.
The overall target for the full force is 20,000 troops, which will be led by U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers. Current commitments remain far below this goal, and overall progress on standing up the force has moved at a slow pace amid ongoing political gridlock over the ceasefire terms.
The proposed peace framework, first announced by Trump last month, outlines a path forward that requires Hamas to fully disarm, Israel to withdraw all military forces from Gaza, and the deployment of the International Stabilization Force to regions of Gaza that will be administered by a new technocratic Palestinian committee. The force’s core mandates include monitoring ceasefire compliance, training local Palestinian police forces, and supporting the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the territory’s civilian population.
The ceasefire that went into effect in Gaza last October has stalled in recent weeks, deepening gridlock over the core terms of the peace plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the U.S.-brokered proposal, stating that Israeli forces will not withdraw from the roughly 60 percent of Gaza that they currently control until Hamas is completely eliminated and disarmed. Earlier this month, a U.S. delegation led by senior negotiator Jared Kushner held separate marathon talks with Hamas leadership and Netanyahu to break the impasse; while Hamas has agreed to the terms of the framework, Israel has yet to offer any concrete commitment to move forward with the plan.
Security analysts note that Uganda and Burundi bring unique practical experience to the proposed mission, having deployed thousands of troops to long-term peacekeeping operations in Somalia as part of an African Union-led counterterrorism mission against the al-Qaida-affiliated extremist group al-Shabab. Paul D. Williams, director of the security policy studies program at George Washington University, explained that both governments have a proven track record of tolerating high casualty rates during peacekeeping deployments without pulling out their forces.
Williams added that as the Somali peacekeeping mission draws down, both nations are actively seeking new deployment opportunities to secure ongoing financial and material support for their national militaries. “Deploying to Gaza with U.S. backing is a logical and attractive opportunity for both governments to sustain that support,” he noted. A senior Ugandan military officer with direct knowledge of the deployment preparations also confirmed to the AP that the process of selecting troops for the Gaza mission is already underway.
Diane Falzetta contributed additional reporting for this story from Nairobi, Kenya.