Rubio outlines plan for Gaza governance, international force to follow

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the new governance bodies for Gaza would be established soon, followed by the deployment of an international force, as Washington seeks to stabilise a fragile ceasefire in the enclave.

Speaking at a year-end news conference, Rubio said the status quo in Gaza was unsustainable, noting that Israel has continued strikes since the ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump’s administration in October.

"That is why we have a sense of urgency about bringing phase one to its full completion," Rubio said, referring to the creation of an international governing board and a Palestinian technocratic authority on the ground, followed closely by a stabilisation force.

Rubio said progress had been made in identifying Palestinians to join the technocratic body and that Washington aims to have the governance structure in place "very soon," without giving a timeline.

He spoke after the US Central Command hosted talks in Doha this week with partner nations to plan the International Stabilisation Force.

However, Rubio acknowledged that key questions remain unresolved, including how Hamas would be disarmed.

Fears of combat

Countries considering contributing troops are concerned their forces could be drawn into combat.

Rubio said Washington still owed prospective contributors clarity on the force’s mandate and funding.

"I think we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit," he said, adding that several countries acceptable to all sides had expressed interest, including Pakistan.

Establishing security and governance, Rubio said, was essential to securing international funding for Gaza’s reconstruction.

"Who is going to pledge billions of dollars to build things that are going to get blown up again because a war starts?" he said.

"They want to know who is in charge and that there will be long-term stability."