Kosovo is ready to deploy troops to Gaza as part of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), but their deployment depends on the force being ready to receive them, Kosovo’s Ministry of Defense has told The Times of Israel.
According to the Israeli newspaper, Kosovo’s contribution to the mission will include an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team, a contingent commander serving as a liaison officer, and additional personnel.
The ministry has not disclosed the total number of Kosovo Security Force (KSF) members who will be part of the contingent.
“Kosovo’s EOD team is ready and will be deployed as soon as the ISF is prepared to receive it. The deployment timeline will be determined by the ISF, in coordination with the relevant authorities and in accordance with the mission’s readiness,” the Ministry of Defense said in a written response to the Israeli newspaper.
According to the ministry, preparations for the mission have also included training for Kosovo personnel by partner forces in May. This followed an assessment visit by a Kosovo Security Force team to Gaza on April 26 to examine the area where Kosovo’s troops are expected to operate.
The specific duties of Kosovo’s personnel will be determined in coordination with the ISF, depending on how the mission develops, the Ministry of Defense said.
Kosovo officially signed its participation agreement with the Board of Peace and the International Stabilization Force on September 7. Other countries, including Morocco and Kazakhstan, have also committed to participating in the mission.
In July, a small delegation of Kosovo soldiers arrived in Israel as part of the preliminary preparations for the mission. A similar delegation from Morocco had arrived a month earlier.
Meanwhile, Albania finalized its participation agreement with the ISF over the weekend. According to a statement from the Board of Peace, Albanian liaison officers are expected to deploy to the region in November.
The agreement, signed on Friday at a ceremony attended by ISF commander, U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, and senior Albanian defense officials, provides for support for the mission’s security operations and operational planning.
However, the international force has yet to begin deploying to Gaza. The U.S.-backed plan aims to secure areas from which Israeli troops withdraw, support the disarmament of Hamas, train Palestinian police and protect humanitarian operations. It has faced delays and disagreements.
The main points of contention concern Hamas’s disarmament, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Hamas must be fully disarmed and Gaza demilitarized before Israeli troops withdraw and reconstruction begins. The Board of Peace, meanwhile, has supported a gradual withdrawal linked to verification of the disarmament process.
Under the U.S. plan, the ISF is expected to help secure areas vacated by Israeli troops, train Palestinian police and establish conditions for a committee of Palestinian technocrats to enter and administer the territory.
