Bangladesh has informed U.S. officials it wants to join the international stabilization force proposed for Gaza, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman said after meetings in Washington. A U.N. resolution in November authorized a temporary force following an October ceasefire, but progress on subsequent phases has been limited. The conflict has caused massive displacement and humanitarian suffering in Gaza; rights experts and a U.N. inquiry have raised genocide concerns, while Israel says its actions followed a deadly 2023 Hamas attack.
Bangladesh Seeks Role In International Stabilization Force For Gaza, Says National Security Adviser
Palestinians walk near damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip, as seen from Israel, December 29, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Bangladesh has told U.S. officials it wishes to join the temporary international stabilization force proposed for Gaza, the Bangladeshi government said on Saturday.
National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman met with U.S. diplomats Allison Hooker and Paul Kapur in Washington, where Rahman "expressed Bangladesh's interest in principle to be part of the international stabilization force that would be deployed in Gaza," according to an official statement. The statement did not specify the scale, timeline or nature of Bangladesh's potential contribution. The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment.
U.N. Mandate and Ceasefire Status
A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorized a so-called Board of Peace and cooperating countries to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza, following a ceasefire that began in October. That truce has reached only its initial phase and negotiators say progress on the subsequent steps has been limited.
Since the ceasefire took effect, reports indicate more than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed. Nearly all of Gaza's more than two million residents are sheltering in makeshift or damaged structures in a narrow strip of territory from which Israeli forces have withdrawn and where Hamas has reasserted control.
Humanitarian And Political Context
Israel's military campaign in Gaza since late 2023 has resulted in very high civilian casualties, widespread destruction, a severe hunger crisis and the internal displacement of much of the territory's population. Multiple human rights experts, academics and a U.N. inquiry have concluded that the conduct of hostilities may amount to genocide, a characterisation rejected by Israeli officials, who say their actions are self-defence after a 2023 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and left more than 250 hostages.
Both Israel and Hamas remain far apart on the more difficult steps required for a broader and lasting settlement of the ceasefire, and each side has accused the other of violations.
Bangladesh's expression of interest signals growing international attention to the U.N.-backed stabilization plan, but major questions remain about how such a force would be structured, who would participate, and how it would operate on the ground amid continuing tensions.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
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