Israel barring Board of Peace from building outpost in Gaza – report

Israel reportedly blocking the construction of a military base in the Gaza Strip for Board of Peace forces ahead of Knesset election.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel has reportedly prevented an American contractor from beginning construction of a military base in the Gaza Strip intended to accommodate international troops under President Donald Trump’s postwar reconstruction plan, raising questions about the future of the initiative ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections.

The Guardian reported Wednesday that Israeli authorities have refused to authorize the entry of construction crews and equipment needed to establish the facility, more than two months after Trump’s Board of Peace selected a US company to carry out the project.

“Israel won’t open the border,” a person familiar with the project told the British newspaper.

The contract was awarded in early August to Arkel International, a Louisiana-based construction company with previous experience working on US government projects overseas.

The planned installation would cover an area of approximately 100 by 100 meters at a location previously used by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the now-defunct American-backed humanitarian aid distribution operation.

It would accommodate rotating deployments of approximately 150 armed personnel belonging to the International Stabilization Force (ISF), a multinational mission intended to provide security for Gaza’s reconstruction and the establishment of a new civilian administration.

The troops would be drawn from a larger contingent of approximately 500 personnel dispatched by Morocco and Kosovo, according to the report.

The source said the lack of a functioning international military presence has prevented the Board of Peace from proceeding with other projects, including the delivery of construction materials and the installation of essential infrastructure.

“You can’t rebuild,” the source said, explaining that security arrangements must be established before reconstruction work can begin.

Officials associated with the Board of Peace reportedly expect the Israeli government to authorize the project after the October 27 election, although the report did not establish that political considerations were responsible for the delay.

Neither the Israeli government nor the IDF provided a substantive public explanation for the lack of authorization. A spokesperson for the Board of Peace also declined to comment.

The reported obstruction comes despite earlier Israeli approval for a limited reconstruction initiative in southern Gaza, with Rafah designated as the initial location.

The pilot program envisions temporary housing, the restoration of basic services and the introduction of a Palestinian technocratic administration operating with international security assistance.

Under the proposed arrangements, residents entering the reconstructed areas would undergo security screening designed to exclude members of Hamas and others affiliated with the terrorist organization.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, established to oversee civilian affairs in the territory, is expected to assume responsibility for administering the pilot area with support from international forces.

The international deployment forms part of Trump’s broader framework for ending the Gaza conflict, which calls for Hamas to relinquish control of the territory and disarm, the establishment of alternative Palestinian governance and a gradual Israeli military withdrawal.

However, implementation of the agreement has been delayed by disagreements over the sequencing of Hamas’s disarmament, Israeli withdrawals and the deployment of international personnel.

Israel has insisted that Hamas must be completely disarmed before Israel withdraws, a position that has complicated efforts to implement subsequent stages of the American-backed agreement.

Board of Peacegaza stripUS Gaza plan