Then there is the question of whether any country would really be willing to commit any troops to the plan if it involved facing down the militants as they attempt to consolidate their power in Gaza.
The broader project to restore some stability to Gaza is already at risk of stalling. Interviews with a number of U.S., European and Middle Eastern officials indicate that the militant group insists on having a significant postwar role in the strip and still has enough firepower after two years of war with Israel to wreck a cease-fire. Since the truce last month, Hamas fighters have emerged from the rubble and begun consolidating power in some areas. In some cases, they have publicly executed their rivals.
Any country sending troops to keep the peace in the enclave could risk having a run-in with Hamas forces at some point, and that could place them in an uncomfortable position.
“No government, especially from the Arab and Muslim world, wants to be put in the spotlight with their troops there and have their people saying, ‘You’re just acting as an Israeli proxy force now,’ ” said Richard Gowan, a U.N. expert at the International Crisis Group think tank.
“Everyone is really dancing around the fact that you need a mission that can use force, and that is going to be really tough both in terms of operations but also optics,” said Gowan.
This point gained additional resonance after Hamas operatives met last week with the head of Egyptian intelligence and said they would agree to an international security force only at the borders of Gaza and if it wouldn’t try to confront the militant group.
Some Arab and Muslim-majority countries have voiced interest in contributing troops to a security force for Gaza, while more have offered to help fund its reconstruction. But so far there have been no hard commitments to put boots on the ground.
The majority have said they would like to start by securing Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt and preventing arms smuggling. Cairo, which is expected to lead the force, has asked for Palestinian forces, expected to be trained in Egypt and Jordan and vetted by the U.S., to join the force and operate inside Gaza.
The crucial question is whether an international force would have responsibility for confronting Hamas if the militant group refuses to disarm and disband. The U.S. and Israel have repeatedly said Hamas can have no role in Gaza’s future.
Hamas, though, has other thoughts. The frequent flare-ups in violence and Israeli counterstrikes — the most recent came on Tuesday, after it accused the militants of killing an Israeli soldier — suggests it remains a threat, including to troops sent to Gaza as part of any international force.
Trump administration officials are working closely with regional allies to sort through what such a security force should look like, and whether to establish a legal mandate for the force through a United Nations Security Council resolution.
U.S. officials said the process is still under way and it is too early to announce details of any final plan, while insisting the cease-fire remains intact.
“No one’s under any illusions,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a visit to Israel on Oct. 23. “We’ve already done the impossible once, and we intend to keep doing that if we can.”
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, traveled to Israel on Friday to meet senior Israeli officials and visit a new civilian-military coordination center in southern Israel tasked with overseeing the peace plan.
Turkey, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia have expressed interest in contributing troops to an international security force, officials familiar with the plans said, though Israel has voiced objections to the participation of Turkey, a significant regional power.
Egypt and other countries have proposed deploying up to 5,000 troops as part of the force, adding to around 2,000 to 3,000 Palestinian personnel currently being trained in Egypt and Jordan. Egypt is expected to lead the force, if it is deployed.
