Washington: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed gratitude to Pakistan for offering to consider contributing military troops to a proposed international stabilisation force for Gaza, as Washington works toward implementing a post-war peace plan in the enclave.
Speaking at a year-end press conference, Rubio said Pakistan, along with several other countries, has sought clarifications regarding the mandate and structure of the proposed force before making a final commitment.
“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,” Rubio said. He added that the United States understands participating nations need answers to key questions before formally offering troops.
Rubio noted that discussions are ongoing and that many countries acceptable to all parties involved in the conflict are willing to step forward to support a Gaza stabilisation mission once outstanding issues are resolved.
The U.S. Secretary of State said new governance bodies for Gaza would be established soon, followed by the deployment of an international force, as Washington seeks to stabilise a fragile ceasefire in the territory. He described the current situation in Gaza as “unsustainable,” noting that Israeli strikes have continued despite a ceasefire brokered by the administration of President Donald Trump in October.
“That is why we have a sense of urgency about bringing phase one to its full completion,” Rubio said, referring to plans for an international governing board and a Palestinian technocratic authority on the ground, to be followed by a stabilisation force.
Rubio said progress has been made in identifying Palestinians to join the technocratic body and that the governance structure is expected to be in place “very soon,” though he did not provide a specific timeline.
He was speaking after U.S. Central Command hosted talks in Doha this week with partner nations to plan the International Stabilisation Force. However, Rubio acknowledged that major challenges remain, including the disarmament of Hamas and concerns among potential troop-contributing countries that their forces could be drawn into active combat.
He added that Washington still needs to provide clarity on the force’s mandate and funding.
On other regional and global issues, Rubio said progress has been made toward a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, though more work remains. He emphasized that the goal of ceasefire talks is not to impose an agreement on any party.
Rubio also expressed hope that Lebanon–Israel talks would strengthen the Lebanese government and lead to the disarmament of Hezbollah.
He reiterated that lasting peace in Gaza would not be possible if Hamas regains the ability to launch attacks against Israel.
