Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stressed that Israel views the International Stabilization Force not as a UN force and not as a shift in Israel’s security doctrine but as an opportunity to advance the long-term objective of demilitarizing Gaza and dismantling Hamas’s military capacity.
Danon spoke to The Jerusalem Post just hours after Monday evening’s UN Security Council meeting, where the US-led resolution to deploy the ISF to Gaza was approved, with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from China and Russia.
“About a month ago, we all welcomed the ceasefire agreement that enabled the release of the hostages,” Danon said.
He commented that the language in the resolution was the same as in Trump’s Gaza deal and that there were no surprises.
“Look at the wording; everything comes directly from the ceasefire agreement,” Danon noted. “The Americans stayed disciplined. Some countries tried to insert problematic elements, but that didn’t happen.”
Israel’s immediate priorities, he stressed, have remained unchanged, namely the “return of all the bodies of the hostages, demilitarization of Hamas, and removing weapons from the [Gaza] Strip.”
Danon: ISF could stabilize Gaza after years of conflict
Danon describes the ISF as a mechanism meant to help stabilize Gaza after years of conflict. This body will be judged solely on its ability to weaken Hamas’s armed capabilities.
“What interests us now is seeing whether this force can stabilize the situation and strip Hamas of its weapons,” he explained. “That’s the immediate objective.”
Danon was eager to clarify what he sees as a widely misunderstood point, namely that the ISF is not a UN peacekeeping mission.
“This initiative is not from the UN, and the UN was given no mandate or authority,” he emphasized. “It’s an American initiative; the US is trying to complete the mission of disarming Hamas.”
Attempts by some member states to insert stronger UN oversight into the text ultimately failed, he noted.
“The resolution did not pass under Chapter VII, which would have turned the ISF into a UN Security Council peacekeeping force. There are no sanctions, no enforcement mechanism handed to the UN.”
For Danon, that is more than a procedural detail. It is a safeguard for Israel’s freedom of action. “If this doesn’t succeed, we are not disappearing. We remain in the area.”
The ambassador added that there were clauses about reform and reconstruction and talks about future political dialogue, but Israel doesn’t see any feasibility for that right now,” he said. “For Israel, what matters is demilitarizing Gaza. That is the heart of the matter.”
Israel, he insisted, would not compromise on the issue of demilitarization. “It’s a core requirement.”
One open question is whether the ISF will actually materialize on the ground. “It’s very complicated,” Danon admitted.
“We’re not seeing many countries lining up to send forces, whether soldiers or police. There are concerns, and it’s clearly challenging.” Many states may support the idea of a new future for Gaza, he said, but deploying boots on the ground is another matter entirely.
Ultimately, Danon framed the ISF as a chance to avoid deeper Israeli military involvement.
“This initiative might spare us another operation in Gaza,” he said. “But if there’s no choice, we’re not going anywhere. Our responsibility is Israel’s security, and we will do what we must.”