ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan will take part in a U.N.-backed Gaza peacekeeping force only if the mandate does not include disarming Hamas, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said during a year-end briefing, Dec. 27, 2025.
Dar said Islamabad supports a limited peacekeeping role meant to help Palestinians maintain order after the war, but rejects what he called “peace enforcement” that would require Pakistani troops to “disarm or de-weaponize Hamas,” according to Arab News’ account of the briefing.
Gaza peacekeeping force: Pakistan draws a line on mandate and mission
Pakistan’s conditions land as diplomats and militaries debate what a postwar security arrangement in Gaza would actually do. U.S. officials told Reuters that international troops could deploy in Gaza as soon as next month as part of a U.N.-authorized stabilization force, while key details — including rules of engagement and how “demilitarization” would be carried out — remain unsettled.
Dar’s position underscores the split between countries willing to contribute to a Gaza peacekeeping force focused on monitoring and supporting governance, and proposals that include a direct role in dismantling Hamas’ armed wing. In Islamabad, the debate is also playing out domestically: the Arab News report said prominent Pakistani religious leaders have warned the government against sending forces under international pressure.
Regional hesitation, and the politics at home
Analysts cited by Reuters have warned that any deployment could trigger public backlash in Pakistan, where pro-Palestinian sentiment is widespread and critics could frame involvement as serving Israel’s security agenda.
Pakistan is not alone in objecting to a disarmament-first mission. Turkey’s foreign minister has argued that disarming Hamas should not be the first task for a stabilization effort, emphasizing sequencing and feasibility, according to The Guardian. That view aligns with Pakistan’s insistence that a Gaza peacekeeping force must not morph into combat operations.
Continuity: how the “day after” Gaza debate evolved
Ideas for international oversight or a multinational force have circulated since early in the war. In October 2023, Reuters reported U.S. officials were holding preliminary talks about Gaza’s future governance, including possibilities involving international or U.N. oversight.
By December 2023, Reuters also reported Israel was presenting postwar concepts centered on security control and demilitarization — a framing that continues to shape arguments over any international mandate.
For Pakistan, the debate also touches a long peacekeeping identity, even as deployments have fluctuated with domestic security needs. A 2014 analysis in The Diplomat described earlier reductions in Pakistan’s U.N. peacekeeping contributions during intensive counterinsurgency operations at home — a reminder that Islamabad weighs overseas missions against internal stability.
For now, Dar’s message is that Pakistan’s role in any Gaza peacekeeping force would be narrow: support for a political authority in Gaza, not enforcement against Hamas. Whether negotiators can craft a mandate that attracts troop contributors without collapsing over the disarmament question remains the central test.
