Israel Refuses Construction of International Stability Force Base in Gaza

Israel refused to allow the start of construction of a main military base for the international stability force belonging to the Peace Council in the Gaza Strip, after hundreds of its members arrived in Israel during the past period in preparation for their deployment.

The British newspaper "The Guardian" said that "the Peace Council signed the first construction contract in Gaza last August/September with Arkell International, based in Louisiana, to build a military site for 150 international soldiers to serve as the vanguard of an international stability force."

It added: "Two months later, Israel is still preventing the execution of the contract and does not allow contractors and trucks to cross into Gaza and begin work."

It noted that the temporary mission support site planned by Arkell is a fortified site measuring approximately 100 meters by 100 meters, located on a site that was part of the now-suspended controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation project.

The source stated, according to the newspaper, that "the base will host short, rotating deployments of a well-armed force of 150 soldiers in Gaza, within a larger force of 500 soldiers already sent from Morocco and Kosovo."

He added: "Israel's refusal to allow the contractor, Arkell, to build the base fundamentally hinders the work of the Peace Council; because the Peace Council cannot enter Gaza without the international stability force."

He clarified that the Peace Council believes the Israeli government will allow the project to proceed after the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27 this month.

Vanguards of the international stability force, formed under UN Security Council Resolution 2803 which adopted US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, arrived in Israel during the last few months but were unable to enter the sector.

Israeli media reported last Sunday that an American team would enter the Gaza Strip under the mandate of the Peace Council to begin a pilot plan aimed at collecting weapons from Hamas, as part of efforts to implement the ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) stated that "Israel allowed an American team working under the mandate of the Peace Council to enter Gaza in the coming days to begin searching and mapping several sites from which Hamas may hand over weapons for destruction."

It added: "This step is one of the main steps in US President Donald Trump's peace plan, under which Hamas will relinquish its weapons and the Gaza Strip will be disarmed."