Axios: US general set to lead International Stabilization Force in Gaza

The Trump administration intends to assign an American two-star general to lead the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, two US officials and two Israeli officials, familiar with the matter, said.

According to Israeli sources, quoted by Axios, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said this during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Waltz even said he knows the general personally and stressed he is a very serious guy," one Israeli official noted.

Two US officials confirmed the plan to place a US general in command of the ISF.

The appointment will deepen US involvement in securing and rebuilding Gaza, making it the largest US political, civilian, and military project in the Middle East in over two decades.

The ISF is a UN Security Council–mandated multinational force approved under Resolution 2803 (2025) to support the fragile Gaza ceasefire by stabilising security, protecting civilians, and securing humanitarian corridors while cooperating with Egypt and Israel.

It is designed to help oversee the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip, including training and supporting a newly vetted Palestinian police force and reducing armed group capabilities during the transitional period.

The force will operate under a transitional governing body called the Board of Peace, with missions funded by voluntary contributions, and is authorised to use necessary measures consistent with international law to carry out its mandate until at least the end of 2027.

By Jeyhun Aghazada