UN Security Council backs US-led Gaza plan with international force, path to Palestinian state

The UN Security Council on Monday approved a US-drafted resolution supporting former US president Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, endorsing an international stabilisation force and outlining a conditional route toward future Palestinian statehood. The measure passed with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from Russia and China, but no vetoes.

Trump hailed the outcome online, calling the endorsement of the plan’s proposed “Board of Peace” — which he said he would chair — one of the UN’s “biggest approvals” and a step toward global peace. Washington’s ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, said the resolution would help Gaza recover and strengthen Israel’s security.

Hamas rejected the text, saying it failed to meet Palestinian political and humanitarian needs. The plan has been debated for weeks, with several revisions preceding the vote. It builds on a ceasefire that took effect in Gaza on October 10 after two years of devastating conflict following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

A central element of the resolution is the creation of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which would work with Israel, Egypt, and newly trained Palestinian police to secure borders, demilitarise Gaza, and safeguard aid operations. The ISF would be tasked with disarming non-state armed groups and protecting civilians.

The measure also greenlights a transitional “Board of Peace” to administer Gaza until the end of 2027. While the text offers no explicit endorsement of Palestinian statehood, it states that once the Palestinian Authority enacts reforms and reconstruction advances, conditions “may finally be in place” for genuine progress toward Palestinian self-determination — a prospect Israel continues to oppose.

The resolution demands humanitarian access at scale, with Britain’s UN envoy James Kariuki urging the opening of all crossings and unobstructed movement for aid agencies. Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon said the plan would ensure Hamas “will not pose a threat” to Israel.

Russia presented a rival draft arguing the US proposal fell short on backing a two-state solution. Moscow’s ambassador Vasily Nebenzya criticised the process as rushed and warned that the plan gives Washington broad control over Gaza through the Board of Peace.

Despite regional sensitivities, the US secured support from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries, including Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey, which jointly endorsed the resolution.

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