Omanghana
Israel has reportedly withheld access for contractors and equipment needed to build a U.S.-backed military outpost in Gaza, delaying a project intended to support an international stabilization force and wider reconstruction efforts.
According to Middle East Eye and other reports, Israeli authorities have not granted the entry permissions required for Louisiana-based Arkel International to begin construction.
The company was awarded the contract in early August 2026 by the Board of Peace, chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump. The project involves a fortified, 10,000-square-metre mission support site intended to accommodate an initial international troop presence.
The planned facility would house approximately 150 armed personnel at a time, drawn from a wider contingent of 500 soldiers supplied by Morocco and Kosovo.
Those troops would form part of the proposed International Stabilization Force, which also includes personnel commitments from Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Albania. The force is expected to operate under U.S. Army Major General Jasper Jeffers, with an eventual strength of between 10,000 and 20,000 personnel.
The reported access restrictions threaten to delay civilian reconstruction projects that depend on security arrangements being established first.
Sources familiar with the plans say an initial troop deployment would help create conditions for engineers and other workers to enter Gaza, remove debris, install essential facilities and begin temporary housing projects in Rafah.
The impasse comes despite substantial international funding pledges. A Washington summit in February 2026 reportedly secured US$17 billion in commitments from a 10-country coalition, including US$10 billion from the United States and US$1 billion from Saudi Arabia.
Those pledges, however, have not resolved the operational obstacles facing the proposed deployment and construction program.
Some Board of Peace officials have suggested that Israel may be delaying clearances until after elections scheduled for October 27. That explanation remains speculative, and the reports do not establish an official Israeli reason for withholding access.
The delay underscores the project’s dependence on Israeli authorization for personnel, machinery and materials to enter Gaza, leaving the timetable for the outpost and associated reconstruction work uncertain.
Source: Omanghana
