Bangladesh showed its keen interest to join the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that would be deployed in Gaza, which the UN Security Council approved in November 2025.
Essentially, the force would take over many of the security responsibilities that have been managed by Hamas over the last 19 years in Gaza. Since 2006, Hamas has been in charge of governing the Gaza Strip, including managing its social and security services.
The National Security Adviser to Dr. Mohammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of interim government, Khalilur Rahman expressed Bangladesh's principled interest in joining the proposed deployable international stabilisation force (ISF) in Gaza, while he met with the US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allioson Hooker on January 9 in Washington, USA.
The ISF is envisioned as a multinational force that would deploy in Gaza to help train police, secure the borders, maintain security by helping demilitarise Gaza, protect civilians and humanitarian operations, including securing humanitarian corridors, among "additional tasks as may be necessary in support of the Comprehensive Plan".
Meanwhile, Egypt, Turkey, and Azerbaijan have signaled they would be willing to participate. However, Pakistan has several preconditions for its involvement, the first of which is that other Muslim nations also participate in the stabilization force.
"Secondly, Pakistan wants a clear signal that the stabilization of the Gaza Strip is a step towards recognizing a Palestinian state as a final solution."
Thirdly, Pakistan does not want to find itself in a situation where its troops have to fight against Hamas or the Israeli armed forces, for example."
Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait gave no indication to to join the ISF as Palestinian and Hamas issues are considered very sensitive to Muslim World.
In Bangladesh Khalilur Rahman's proposal to join the ISF has raised many eyebrows as many analysts questioned with only one month before the elected government through February 12 national election why the interim government is going take decision on such a sensitive issue. This issue should be left to the next elected government, they feel.
"It's a highly risky sensitive issue for Bangladesh, as Bangladesh's people are strong liberal and vehemently support Palestinian interests," Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, the Executive Director of the Centre for Alternatives, Bangladesh, and a retired Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, said.
He said when the tenure of this government is only few days then why they feel such an interest, he asked.
"I don't understand, earlier, this interim government had also plans to give a corridor to Rakhine state, which people resisted. This issue is related with the Palestine, so far I understand people will also resist the idea once again," he added.
As with Pakistan, Indonesia also puts a lot weight on the participation of Islamic countries.
Although ISF was formulated two months back there was no input from Palestinian parties.
That is still unclear, though under the resolution, the forces will work with Israel and Egypt and a newly trained Palestinian police force that will not be under Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
Azerbaijan and Indonesia had offered to send troops. Egypt, Qatar and the UAE were in talks about contributing, though a senior Emirati official, Anwar Gargash, said his country would not participate. Reports have said Egypt could lead the force.
In October, Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was ready to provide support to Gaza. Later Turkiye Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel would not agree to Turkish troops on the ground in Gaza.
Hamas has repeatedly said it would give up governance but is not willing to give up its arms.
For his part, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, recently that the war "has not ended" and that Hamas would be disarmed.
