Italy Urged to Join Gaza Force as Trump’s Plan Stalls

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has invited Italy to become a founding member of the Gaza “International Stabilization Force” [ISF], as the Trump administration seeks to boost the initiative amid delays and international skepticism.

Diplomats presented the offer this week to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office and Italy’s foreign ministry, the sources said. Any decision on participation now rests with Meloni, and no commitment has been made.

Under the plan, Italy would not be expected to contribute troops. Its role would primarily consist of training "Gaza’s future police force and leveraging its diplomatic influence with Arab states, ‘Israel’, and the Palestinians", the sources added.

Meloni’s office declined to comment, and Italy’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment, as per the report.

A White House spokesperson, Taylor Rogers, also refrained from confirming the invitation, saying only that announcements on "the ISF will come soon.”

The US ISF for Gaza, part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point so-called “peace plan,” has struggled to gain support from allies, with France and Canada refusing participation. Italy remains cautious, though Prime Minister Meloni signals willingness to engage in the broader Gaza initiative.

The Guardian’s Julian Borger highlights the challenges in Trump’s Gaza reconstruction plan, which envisions a “unified, Palestinian-administered” Gaza but faces "Israeli" resistance, questions over Hamas disarmament, and criticisms that it overlooks Palestinian property rights and history.

A key innovation in the plan is the creation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza [NCAG], a technocratic Palestinian body meant to oversee reconstruction and governance, with exclusive control over arms requiring Hamas and other factions to disarm.

According to Borger’s analysis, the first 100 days of Gaza’s reconstruction plan focus on urgent humanitarian relief—water, electricity, hospitals, and goods flow—with oversight by the NCAG, a new Palestinian police force, and US envoy Nickolay Mladenov, while the previously proposed ISF is notably absent.

Reopening the Rafah crossing is meant to signal Gaza’s reintegration, but Borger highlights political hurdles: “Israeli” far-right ministers oppose the move, the interim Palestinian government faces resistance, and the plan’s ambiguity on statehood and “Israeli” withdrawal could enable delays—though Trump’s personal stake in the ceasefire may push the reconstruction forward.