Pressure to advance in Gaza: African officers visited the US command center in Kiryat Gat

Senior officers from Uganda and Burundi visited the US command center in Kiryat Gat this morning, as part of a preliminary agreement to send troops to the multinational stabilization force (ISF) in Gaza. The visit took place amid American pressure on Israel to begin implementing the second phase of the Trump plan. Trump's envoy, Jared Kushner, and Peace Council CEO Nikolai Mladenov met with Netanyahu and conveyed a message that Hamas must be disarmed.

Senior officers from two African countries, Uganda and Burundi, arrived this morning (Monday) at the US command center in Kiryat Gat, as reported in the Kan News broadcast. The two countries have given preliminary consent to send troops to the Gaza Strip as part of the multinational stabilization force (ISF), which was announced in the 20-point plan of US President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza. During their visit, the officers met with representatives of the US command and also with IDF representatives who explained their plans for Gaza. Their arrival comes amid advanced contacts with African countries, alongside heavy pressure from the US administration on Israel to begin implementing the second phase of Trump's plan. As part of the pressure, Trump's envoy, Jared Kushner, and Peace Council CEO Nikolai Mladenov visited Israel today. The two conveyed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a message that implementation of the plan in the Strip must begin and that the mediators insist that Hamas be disarmed. Their meeting took place a day after Kushner's meeting in Cairo with a delegation from Hamas, attended by senior officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. The Americans are working to recruit more countries for the stabilization force; Morocco has been chosen to train the force, and contacts are underway with Kosovo, Albania, and Kazakhstan. Indonesia currently does not intend to send forces. In September last year, the White House published the 20-point plan; Article 15 establishes a temporary international stabilization force in cooperation with the US, Arab countries, Egypt, and Jordan.