Kosovo has announced its intention to deploy troops to Gaza as part of a US-backed international security force established after last year's ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The initiative, known as the 'Board of Peace' under US President Donald Trump, aims to maintain stability and support a transitional administration in the territory.
The decision was formally approved by Kosovo's government on Monday, following an invitation from the United States received in December. Prime Minister Albin Kurti addressed a televised ministerial meeting, stating: 'We are ready to participate and help the people of Gaza, because we ourselves have been and are beneficiaries of international forces since 1999.'
Several other nations, including Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, and Albania, have also committed personnel to the International Stabilization Force. However, the precise number of troops Kosovo plans to send has not been disclosed.
Violence in Gaza has persisted, with the Israeli military killing over 680 Palestinians since the ceasefire began in November, according to local health officials. More than 72,000 have been killed since the war started in October 2023. The ceasefire left Israel in control of well over half of Gaza, while Hamas maintains a firm grip on the other half.
Hamas, committed to armed resistance and sworn to Israel's destruction, has publicly rejected calls to disarm but has privately voiced openness to disarmament along a political track leading to a Palestinian state. Trump's plan, agreed by Israel and Hamas in October, sees Israeli troops withdrawing and reconstruction starting as Hamas lays down its weapons, though it makes no mention of Palestinian statehood.
Kosovo, a Balkan country of 1.6 million people, is a US ally that gained independence from Serbia in 2008. Trump garnered some $7 billion in pledges in February from countries, including some in the Gulf, before those same countries came under attack by Iran in a widening Middle East war.
