US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza.
The report in the Axios news site on Thursday, citing two US officials and two Israeli officials, did not name the general in question.
According to the report, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Israel this week that the Trump administration is going to lead the ISF and appoint a two-star general as its commander.
An Israeli official quoted by the news site said that “Waltz even said he knows the general personally and stressed he is a very serious guy.”
The appointment would mean that the US will officially command the nascent security force, but White House officials stressed to the site that there will not be any US boots on the ground in Gaza.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media as US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and White House adviser Jared Kushner stand next to him, at the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, Israel, October 21, 2025. (AP/Francisco Seco)
A United Nations Security Council resolution adopted on November 17 authorized a Board of Peace and countries working with it to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza. Under the plan, IDF forces — who currently control 53 percent of Gaza — will gradually withdraw as ISF troops deploy in the Strip.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he will only announce the members of the Board of Peace overseeing the postwar management of Gaza early next year.
Last week, US officials told The Times of Israel that Washington was aiming to announce a transition to phase two of Trump’s Gaza peace deal and the members of the various bodies involved by Christmas.
But after US officials told reporters on December 4 there was a two-week deadline for announcing the transition to phase two of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, a reporter in the White House asked the US president when he would announce the makeup of the Board of Peace.
“We’ll do it early next year,” Trump responded Wednesday, all but shutting down speculation that an announcement will be made earlier.
He reiterated that the board will be headed by him and made up of many world leaders who have expressed interest in joining. So far, none of those people have come forward.
A self-propelled artillery howitzer is seen on the border with the Gaza Strip, December 8, 2025. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)
The role of the board will be largely symbolic, as an intermediate-level executive committee filled by Trump’s top aides Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff along with former UK prime minister Tony Blair and former UN envoy to the Mideast Nikolay Mladenov will be more directly involved in overseeing the Palestinian technocratic government, which is also slated to be announced by Washington, US officials have said.
Speaking Wednesday at the tail end of a visit to Israel, Waltz stressed that Washington expects the ISF to fulfill its mandate by engaging in the disarmament process, in comments that may not sit well with countries on the fence about joining.
“The stabilization force in the Security Council resolution is authorized to [disarm Hamas]. We specifically put language in there that said, ‘by all means necessary.’ That’ll be a conversation with each country,” Waltz said in an interview with Channel 12 news.
“[Conversations on the] rules of engagement [for the ISF] are ongoing,” he added. “President Trump has repeatedly said, Hamas will disarm one way or another — the easy way or the hard way.”
While Waltz publicly named Azerbaijan as a likely contributor, an Azerbaijani official told The Times of Israel over the weekend that Baku is far from making that decision.
The official said Azerbaijan was only open to taking part in peacekeeping, not a peace-enforcement mission, echoing comments from other Arab and Muslim countries pitched on the ISF, who believe involvement in the forced disarmament of a reluctant Hamas manifestly falls into the latter category.
One of the issues holding countries back is Israel’s veto on Turkish involvement in the ISF. Some potential contributors feel that Ankara is needed as an insurance policy, given its ties to Hamas and its role as a mediator and guarantor of the ceasefire.
Waltz indicated that the US is still working to shift the Israeli stance on the issue, telling Channel 12 that conversations on the matter are “ongoing.”
Watch DocuNation Season 3: The Heart of Israel
when you join the ToI Community
In this season of DocuNation, you can stream five outstanding Israeli documentaries with English subtitles and then join a live online discussion with the filmmakers. The selected films show Israel beyond the conflict: a place of storytellers and musicians, of dreamers, makers, and communities rooted in meaning and trust.
When you watch DocuNation, you’re also supporting Israeli creators at a time when it’s increasingly difficult for them to share their work globally.
To learn more about DocuNation: The Heart of Israel, click here.
Support ToI and get DocuNation
Support ToI and get DocuNation
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
