With Munir’s CIA-Mossad deal, Pakistan to send 20,000 troops to Gaza under post-war plan

Pakistan is preparing to send up to 20,000 soldiers to the Gaza Strip as part of an international stabilisation force under a deal with the United States and Israel.

The CNN-News 18 has reported top intelligence sources as saying that Pakistan is preparing to deploy up to 20,000 troops to Gaza after Field Marshal Asim Munir held secret meetings with senior officials from Israel’s Mossad and America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

As Pakistan does not recognise Israel, the development marks a fundamental realignment of the Israel-Pakistan relationship. With a role in Gaza, Pakistan would further seek to entrench itself in West Asia's evolving security architecture.

Sources have called the development a “historic and unprecedented realignment" for Pakistan and West Asia. It would be the first time Pakistan would be part of Israeli security operations.

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In Pakistan, officials have said the government is inclined to contribute to the ISF. Officials familiar with the deliberations told the Dawn newspaper that internal discussions were at an “advanced stage” and the tone suggests that the leaders are inclined to deploy troops to Gaza.

Pakistan to neutralise Hamas, oversee a buffer zone, say sources

In Gaza, Pakistani soldiers’ mandate will include “neutralising remaining Hamas elements and stabilising the territory under Western instructions”, sources told CNN-News 18.

Sources further said that the arrangement involves a “controlled Pakistani military presence in Gaza" under the guise of humanitarian rehabilitation and reconstruction, but the real mandate would involve neutralising Hamas and maintaining a buffer zone between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.

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In Gaza, Pakistani soldiers will be part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that is meant to provide security until the Palestinian enclave’s eventual handover to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for the strip. Last week, US Vice President JD Vance said the ISF will take the lead in disarming Hamas in Gaza, which is among the most important points in Trump’s plan.

Under the arrangement brokered by Munir with Mossad and CIA, Pakistani contingent will likely work with troops from Indonesia and Azerbaijan, sources said.

Under Munir’s deal with Mossad and CIA, Pakistani troops would act as a buffer force between Israel and Gaza’s remaining armed factions, providing a security umbrella while facilitating reconstruction and institutional restructuring, according to sources.

In exchange for such a deployment, Israel and the United States have promised Pakistan a package of economic incentives, including World Bank loan leniency, deferred repayment schedules, and financial support routed through Gulf intermediaries, sources said.

However, a Pakistani presence in Gaza is expected to be opposed by Iran, Turkey, and Qatar, who have historically sheltered and supported Hamas, and have used the Palestinian terrorist group as a leverage in advancing their goals in the region.