Kosovo takes over security in the Northern Gaza Strip?

Kosovo takes over security in the Northern Gaza Strip?

Kosovo, with its KSF soldiers, is likely to take on a significant role in security in the Gaza Strip, as part of the International Stabilization Force for this part of Palestine.

Although it has not yet been officially confirmed whether the newest state in Europe will lead the troops that will guard the problematic area, various websites reporting on security have published maps showing Kosovo as responsible for Northern Gaza.

The fact that the republic, which is itself guarded and protected by an international force, NATO’s KFOR, has been among the first countries to express its willingness to contribute troops to the multinational force created to stabilize the situation in the Gaza Strip, has been confirmed by the commander of this force, United States Army General Jasper Jeffers. The state of Israel itself has also done so.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after meeting with President Vjosa Osmani on Friday in Washington, thanked Kosovo for its commitment to this initiative, describing the country as a founding member of the “Peace Board” and a contributor to the ISF in Gaza, along with Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Albania. The latter is responsible for the Deir al-Balah area.

There is still no official position in Pristina that one hundred percent confirms this, but the news that Kosovo could be responsible for security in northern Gaza is seen as an opportunity and an important step in strengthening its international role in peacekeeping and stabilization operations.

If Kosovo takes command of the area north of Gaza, which is planned to be led by a brigadier general, it will be the greatest achievement in the international consolidation of Kosovo’s statehood since the ICJ’s decision on the declaration of independence of our country. This will also represent the greatest responsibility of our country on the international stage, wrote security expert Lulzim Peci.

The International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip is expected to have around twenty thousand soldiers, eight thousand of whom have been pledged by Indonesia, a general from which country will be the deputy commander of this force.

Twelve thousand police officers are also expected to contribute to security in this area, most of whom are expected to come from Egypt and Jordan.

Thousands of troops of the International Stabilization Force for Gaza are expected to be joined by soldiers and police personnel from other countries, in addition to those currently declared as participants. The mission of this force will be to stabilize the security situation on the ground, support local civilian structures and create conditions for the reconstruction and functional administration of the Gaza Strip.

The International Stabilization Force in Gaza is a product of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was reached in October last year, brokered by US President Donald Trump. It ended the war that began with Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023. Official Jerusalem responded harshly to this action, launching a strict campaign against the radical group. As a result, Gaza was largely destroyed. More than 60,000 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in the two-year conflict.

Kosovo itself was a country that needed such an international security force when the war ended here in June 1999. The force that took over security in Kosovo was NATO’s KFOR. This force was divided into five sectors, led by different countries. Britain took the center, namely the Pristina region. Germany was left with the south, with its headquarters in Prizren. The north was entrusted to France, the west to Italy, while the east remained in the hands of the Americans, whose headquarters was Camp Bondstill./KosovaPress