Israel has refused to allow a significant military outpost project for Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to proceed in Gaza, according to reports from the Guardian. This decision comes despite the project being authorized by the UN in 2025 and aimed at housing 150 international troops as part of an international stabilization force.
Background
In early August, the Board of Peace issued its first construction contract for Gaza, awarding it to Louisiana-based Arkel International. The planned military outpost would serve as a vanguard for the stabilization force. However, two months later, Israel has yet to permit the contract to move forward, with contractors and trucks barred from crossing into Gaza to begin construction.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation stated, "Israel won’t open the border." Attempts to reach out to a spokesperson for the Board of Peace, as well as the Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli government, for comments have gone unanswered.
Implications of the Delay
The ongoing conflict in Gaza is one of the eight wars that Trump claims to have resolved, a point he reiterated in a recent social media post expressing frustration over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The Board of Peace, established following an October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, is central to Trump's narrative of having ended the conflict.
The proposed outpost is described as a basic facility, measuring approximately 100 meters by 100 meters, located on a site previously associated with the now-defunct Gaza Humanitarian Foundation project. This base is intended to host short rotations of a well-armed force of 150 troops, drawn from a larger contingent of 500 already deployed from Morocco and Kosovo.
