Pakistan has agreed to join talks on Gaza stabilization force, US says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Pakistan has agreed to be included in discussions on a proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza, though he did not confirm any firm commitment of Pakistani troops.

Rubio's remarks came as he addressed an end-of-the-year presser at the State Department in Washington.

Pakistan took part in a conference hosted by US Central Command in Qatar last week, where representatives from nearly 45 countries discussed the force’s command structure and unresolved operational details.

Asked whether Washington had received Pakistan’s consent to deploy troops as part of peacebuilding efforts in Gaza, Rubio said the United States welcomed Islamabad’s willingness to engage, but that further clarity was required before any formal commitments could be sought.

The United States was “very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to be a part of it, or at least their offer to consider being a part of it,” Rubio said.

“I feel very confident that we have a number of nation-states acceptable to all sides of this who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilization force and certainly, Pakistan is key, if they agree to do so,” he added.

Rubio said key issues surrounding the proposed force — including its mandate, command authority and funding — remain under discussion.

“I think the next step here is announcing the Board of Peace [and] the Palestinian technocratic group that will help provide daily governance,” Rubio said.

“Once that‘s in place, I think that will allow us to firm up the stabilization force, including how it’s going to be paid for, what their rules of engagement are, what their role will be in demilitarization and so forth.”

The proposed ISF is part of broader international efforts aimed at stabilizing Gaza, with talks continuing over security arrangements and governance structures.

'No decision on Gaza force yet'

Secretary Rubio's comments came a day after Pakistan said there is no confirmed information regarding any visit by the Chief of Defense Forces to the United States on Thursday and stressed that no sovereign decision has been taken on joining any international stabilization or security force in Gaza.

The clarification came a day after Reuters reported that Field Marshal Asim Munir was expected to travel to Washington in the coming weeks to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for a third time in six months, with discussions likely to focus on Gaza, citing two sources.

Addressing a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said reports carried by international media regarding a possible visit were unverified and contradictory.

He said the Foreign Office had not received any authenticated details about such a visit so far.

Andrabi said Pakistan remains in consultations with various international partners on the situation in Gaza but emphasized that no final decision has been made on deploying forces.

Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan calls for a force drawn from Muslim countries to oversee a transition period for reconstruction and economic recovery in the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by more than two years of Israeli military bombardment.