Ammon News - Axios reported that the Trump administration is planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, according to two U.S. officials and two Israeli officials.

The appointment will further increase the U.S. responsibility for securing and rebuilding Gaza, which is turning into the biggest U.S. political-civilian-military project in the Middle East in more than two decades.

The U.S. established a civil-military headquarters in Israel to monitor the ceasefire and coordinate humanitarian aid.

The U.S. is leading the planning for the reconstruction of Gaza.

Trump is expected to head the Gaza Board of Peace, and his top advisers will be members of an international executive board.
Now, the U.S. will be in command of the enclave's security force.

Nevertheless, White House officials stress there will be no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza.

The ceasefire in Gaza is Trump's biggest second-term foreign policy achievement so far, but the truce is fragile and his administration wants to proceed to the second phase soon to avoid sliding back into war.

The second phase of the deal involves the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pulling farther back, the ISF deploying to Gaza, and a new governing structure coming into force, including the Trump-led Board of Peace.

The UN Security Council recently authorized both the ISF and the board.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that he's planning to announce the Gaza Board of Peace in early 2026.

Two Israeli officials said UN Ambassador Mike Waltz, who visited Israel this week, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials that the Trump administration is going to lead the ISF and appoint a two-star general as its commander.

"Waltz even said he knows the general personally and stressed he is a very serious guy," one Israeli official said.

The Israeli officials said Waltz stressed that having an American general in charge of the ISF should give Israel confidence it will operate according to appropriate standards.

The U.S. has proposed that former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov serve as Board of Peace representative on the ground in Gaza, working with a future Palestinian technocratic government, sources with knowledge said.

The Trump administration has been quietly briefing Western countries about the Board of Peace and the ISF and inviting them to join. Two countries that have already been invited to join the board are Germany and Italy, according to two sources with direct knowledge.