Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan are the leading candidates to deploy troops to take part in a proposed Gaza "stabilization force", according to a US defense official and a former official familiar with ongoing discussions, an exclusive report by Politico revealed. Both sources were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

According to the report, no country has made a firm commitment yet, but these three have expressed the most interest, the current official said, and talks are ongoing about the makeup and timeline of the force.

Under Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, the United States has pledged to work with Arab and regional partners to deploy a temporary international force. According to the plan, this stabilization mission would focus on training and supporting vetted Palestinian police units. And Egypt and Jordan would be consulted closely throughout the process.

Additionally, the plan explicitly states that no US troops will be deployed inside Gaza.

According to Politico, the stabilization force is considered a cornerstone of Trump’s proposal to end the war on Gaza, demilitarize Gaza, and lay the foundation for reconstruction.

But according to reports, 200 US troops have already been deployed to a civil-military coordination center in occupied Palestine, located north of Gaza. Operating under US Central Command (CENTCOM), their mission is to allegedly support ceasefire efforts and coordinate stabilization activities, according to Politico. Troops from Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE are also expected to operate from the coordination center.

Egyptian forces are currently involved in recovering the bodies of deceased captives in Gaza.

Disarmament and next phase of Trump’s plan

With the recent ceasefire and the release of 20 remaining Israeli captives, the US is now focused on the next phase: Hamas’ disarmament. "Everyone says, ‘Oh, well, they won’t disarm.’ They will disarm," Trump said during a White House event with the Argentinian president.

"I spoke to Hamas, and I said, ‘You’re going to disarm, right?’ ‘Yes, sir, we’re going to disarm.’ That’s what they told me. They will disarm or we will disarm them. Got it?"

But the question is, how and when will the stabilization force materialize? "It’s a two to three month prospect from the day the decision is reached," said Dan Shapiro, former top Pentagon official for the Middle East under the Biden administration.

Shapiro argued that publicly outlining the structure and mandate of the stabilization force could help build credibility for Trump’s plan. "It’s important to show momentum. It’s important to identify these countries, have them step forward, have the mandate agreed upon, have the structure agreed upon, and demonstrate that the troops are actually being prepared for deployment."

One complication, according to a former defense official, is that Indonesia and Azerbaijan are outside CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, which could complicate coordination efforts. Further, the Trump administration has yet to establish any formal technical or diplomatic teams from the State Department or other agencies to manage the implementation of the stabilization force.