The US intends to divide Gaza into a "red zone" that will remain in ruins and a "green zone" under Israeli and international military control, where rehabilitation will begin.
According to US military planning documents obtained by the Guardian and people told on American intentions, foreign forces will first deploy alongside Israeli soldiers in the east of Gaza, leaving the devastated strip divided by the present Israeli-controlled "yellow line."
"You would ideally like everything to be complete, wouldn't you? However, it is aspirational, according to a US official who wished to remain anonymous. It will require some time. It won't be simple.The US military intentions cast doubt on Washington's resolve to transform the ceasefire that was declared last month into a long-term political agreement with Palestinian sovereignty throughout Gaza, as Donald Trump had promised.
Plans for Gaza's future have been changing at an alarming rate, reflecting a disorganized, haphazard strategy to end one of the most complicated and unsolvable conflicts in history while also giving 2 million Palestinians food and shelter.
These plans were abandoned this week, according to the US official, following weeks of US promotion of rehabilitation in the form of fenced-in camps for small groups of Palestinians known as "alternative safe communities" (ASC).

Humanitarian organizations who have voiced serious concerns about the ASC model on several occasions stated on Friday that they had not yet received word of the change in plans.
After two years of catastrophic conflict, Gaza runs the risk of falling into limbo in the absence of a feasible strategy for an international peacekeeping force, the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and extensive reconstruction.
With frequent Israeli attacks, an established occupation, little Palestinian self-rule, and little restoration of Palestinian homes and neighborhoods, mediators have warned of a situation in a divided Gaza that is "not war but not peace."

Trump's 20-point "peace plan" is based on the establishment of an international stabilization force (ISF). Early next week, the US believes a draft UN Security Council resolution granting the force a formal mandate will be approved. Firm specifics of troop pledges are anticipated to follow.
The US official stated, "We have to get the [resolution] as the first step." "Until they actually see the language that has been passed, countries will not make firm commitments."
Trump has declined to provide financing for rehabilitation or station any US troops on the ground to facilitate an Israeli exit. According to one diplomatic source, "the US has been very clear that they want to set the vision and not pay for it."

According to documents obtained by the Guardian, earlier this month, the US military regional Centcom command developed plans to center the ISF around European personnel, including hundreds of British, French, and German soldiers.
They consist of up to 1,000 French troops to handle road clearance and security, as well as up to 1,500 infantry soldiers from the UK with experience in bomb disposal and military medics.
In order to manage field hospitals, logistics, and intelligence, the US also desired troops from Germany, the Netherlands, and the Nordic nations.
Those proposals were called "delusional" by one source. Even while they have promised other help, few European governments would be willing to jeopardize the lives of their soldiers in Gaza after lengthy campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Italy is the only country that has offered to provide troops.

The fact that the documents were labeled unclassified indicates that the US did not view the military plans as extremely important, and it appears that they clashed with reality within a few days.
Planning for Gaza was proceeding quickly, according to a US official, who also stated that the statistics presented in the documents contained "many inaccuracies" and that Washington did not anticipate European troops to constitute the basis of the ISF.
It has a lot of energy. The US official admitted that it is quite fluid. "Only a small number of people truly comprehend this and are in control of it."

Jordan was mentioned as a potential supplier of up to 3,000 police officers and hundreds of light infantry troops, despite King Abdullah's clear rejection of deploying troops since his nation is "too close politically" to Gaza.
Given that over half of Jordanians are of Palestinian heritage, consenting to police the area's ruins in tandem with Israeli soldiers would pose a very unpopular danger to Jordan's security.
As of Thursday, a broad coalition known as "Nato and partners," which comprised nations in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, was expected to provide core commitments to the US military.

According to a US "concept of operation" for the ISF, soldiers will only serve in the "green zone." According to US plans, the deployment will "start small" with a few hundred soldiers in a restricted area before gradually growing to a full strength of 20,000 soldiers throughout the region.
On the western side of the "yellow line," where Hamas is regaining power, it would not function. The US official declared, "You're not going to leave [the green zone]."
Plans for foreign soldiers to man crossings along the line of control after "integrating" with Israeli forces stationed along it are outlined in another document; this task is expected to cause concern among governments that might contribute troops.

They fear being trapped in the crossfire between Israeli soldiers and Hamas, and borders are often potential hotspots. Additionally, they don't want to give rise to claims that the ISF is supporting Israel's prolonged occupation of Gaza.
The plan says that if international security is established, the Israeli military will "consider conditions for withdrawing," but it does not provide a date.
The US official stated that reunifying Gaza is a component of "moving it toward stabilization and lasting peace and a transition to civilian governance," but they noted that it was impossible to predict when it may occur.

A new Palestinian police force is "the long-term internal security solution" for Gaza, according to Trump's 20-point plan, but US planners have only given it a restricted role. According to the plan, a force of 3,000 to 4,000 officers—or just one in five of the anticipated security deployment—will be formed over the course of a year from the initial 200 recruits.
Rebuilding
Reconstruction inside the "green zone" is also seen by US military strategists as part of a vague plot to reunite Gaza by persuading Palestinian civilians to cross Israeli borders.
"You [will] have Gazan civilians moving there starting to thrive as things progress and you create conditions for there to be significant progress on reconstruction," the US official stated."When people say, 'Hey, we want that,' it moves in that way. A military effort to compel it is not being discussed.
However, even designating a "green zone" in Gaza runs the risk of being compared to the US military's failures in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The green zones in Baghdad and Kabul were safe havens surrounded by concrete blast barriers where local allies and Western forces withdrew to avoid the turmoil their mission had caused in the surrounding neighborhoods.

After two years of a war that a UN inquiry declared to be genocidal, the proposal to utilize aid to entice the Gaza population into an area under Israeli control has similarities to other disastrous US programs from those conflicts.
In an effort to win over civilians, the US claimed to be bringing "government in a box" to southern Helmand almost ten years before the Taliban captured Kabul. The province continued to be a stronghold for the rebels.
The demilitarization of Palestinian groups in Gaza and Israel's eventual departure to a "security perimeter" established out of Palestinian territory are both part of Trump's 20-point proposal. The ISF would enable it, enabling reconstruction to start "for the benefit of [Gaza's] people."

According to UN estimates, over 80% of Gaza's buildings—including nearly all schools and hospitals—were damaged or destroyed during the conflict, necessitating immediate repair.
More than a month into the ceasefire, Israel is still restricting humanitarian deliveries to Gaza, including prohibiting necessities like tent poles that it deems to be "dual use" due to their potential for military use.
In addition to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in tents without access to basic amenities like clean water, about 1.5 million Palestinians are waiting for emergency shelter supplies. Over two million people live in the red zone, a coastal strip that makes up less than half of Gaza's total land area.