Pakistan conditions its participation in Gaza force on US guarantees and rejects disarming the resistance

Informed government sources reported that Pakistan is seeking explicit guarantees from the United States of America regarding the nature of the tasks assigned to its forces potentially to be sent to the Gaza Strip. These moves come within the framework of international arrangements to establish a stabilization force, with Islamabad emphasizing that its role should be limited to maintaining peace and security without engaging in direct confrontations.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to travel to Washington D.C. tomorrow, Thursday, to participate in the first official meeting of the Peace Council launched by US President Donald Trump. This meeting will be attended by high-level delegations from at least 20 countries to discuss security and political arrangements for the next phase in the Palestinian territories.

Expectations indicate that President Trump will announce during the meeting a massive plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, estimated at billions of dollars, in parallel with providing technical details about the international stabilization force. This force will operate under a United Nations mandate and aims to secure the Strip during the transitional period following the cessation of military operations.

Sources close to the Pakistani Prime Minister's office reported that Sharif wishes to clarify the strategic objectives of the stabilization force and the entity to which it will be administratively subordinate before making a final decision. The Pakistani government also attaches great importance to knowing the field chain of command to ensure that the mission does not deviate from its agreed humanitarian and security path.

Sources confirmed that the Pakistani position is firm in rejecting any role related to disarming the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), considering it a red line that cannot be crossed. One official explained that the Pakistani army is ready to contribute thousands of soldiers to traditional peacekeeping missions, but it will not be a party to any internal conflict or disarmament operations.

Trump's 20-point plan relies primarily on forming a security force from major Islamic countries to oversee economic recovery and reconstruction operations. Washington sees Pakistan's joining as a qualitative addition given its army's long experience in dealing with complex conflicts and counter-insurgency operations in difficult geographical areas.

On the diplomatic front, leaked documents revealed that the European Union has already opened communication channels with the transitional governance structures recently formed in the Gaza Strip. The European bloc is considering providing financial and technical support to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which began its actual work in mid-January to manage civil affairs.

A document issued by the European External Action Service showed that EU foreign ministers will hold a crucial meeting in Brussels on February 23 to discuss the situation on the ground. The meeting aims to formulate a unified European position on mechanisms for supporting stability in the Strip and determining the extent of contributions to urgent development projects.

Although most European governments preferred not to officially join the Washington-led Peace Council, they decided to send representatives as observers to ensure coordination. The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, will attend the Washington meeting to follow the details of the American peace plan and ensure its compatibility with the European vision for a solution.

The European Union affirmed in its internal correspondence that full non-membership in the Peace Council does not mean abandoning the commitment to the success of comprehensive de-escalation efforts in the region. Brussels seeks to maintain its role as a key player in providing humanitarian aid and supporting Palestinian civil institutions away from sharp political tensions.

In the context of technical support, the European Union Police Support Mission intends to contribute to the qualification of Palestinian security and civilian personnel and provide them with the necessary equipment. These efforts will focus on building criminal justice institutions and training civilian police to ensure the rule of law and protect public and private property during the reconstruction period.

We are ready to send troops, but they can only be part of a peace mission; we will not participate in disarming Hamas, as this is out of the question.