Bangladesh signals willingness to join U.N.-authorized Gaza stabilization force

Bangladesh informed U.S. diplomats in Washington that it was prepared, in principle, to become part of an international stabilization force slated for deployment in Gaza, Dhaka’s national security adviser said in a government statement. The announcement, delivered during a meeting in Washington, marks the first public indication that a major South Asian contributor may be willing to participate in a U.N.-authorized effort to help stabilize Gaza after prolonged hostilities.

Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s national security adviser, met with U.S. diplomats Allison Hooker and Paul Kapur in the Washington talks. The Bangladeshi government statement said Rahman “expressed Bangladesh’s interest in principle to be part of the international stabilization force that would be deployed in Gaza.” The statement did not specify what form that participation would take, leaving open whether Dhaka would offer troops, police units, trainers, engineers, medical teams, logistical support or other capacities. It also offered no figures, timeline, command arrangements or conditions.

The expression of interest comes under a multilateral framework established by a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November 2025 that authorized the creation of a Board of Peace and provided a pathway for countries to contribute to a temporary International Stabilization Force. The resolution is intended to create an international mechanism to support a fragile ceasefire and to secure humanitarian access, border crossings and basic civil order while longer-term political arrangements are negotiated.

Gaza’s humanitarian and security situation remains acute. Accounts from the ground described tens of thousands killed during the 2023–25 hostilities and continued instability even after a ceasefire that began in October 2025. Some reports cited more than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers killed since the ceasefire took effect, and described nearly all of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million living in makeshift or damaged shelters in a narrow area where Israeli troops had withdrawn and local authorities had reasserted control. Those conditions have driven urgent international discussions about how to deliver aid and prevent renewed violence.

Diplomats have privately discussed a roster of potential contributors to the stabilization effort, including Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Italy has publicly signaled readiness to assist and is reported to be taking a lead role in training and in an international policing component envisioned for the Rafah crossing, though Italian involvement in ground forces may be limited. U.S. officials have been conducting talks with a broad set of countries, seeking contributors able to operate under the Board of Peace mandate and to provide capabilities ranging from policing and border management to engineering and medical support. The U.S. State Department had no immediate comment on Dhaka’s statement.

For Dhaka, the offer carries diplomatic weight. Bangladesh has a long tradition of contributing to U.N. peacekeeping missions, and its participation would be politically resonant given its identity as a Muslim-majority nation and its ties to the broader Muslim world. At the same time, the lack of specifics raises operational and legal questions about rules of engagement, command relationships, the composition of forces and the means of ensuring civilian protection under an internationally coordinated effort.

What remains clear is that Dhaka’s declaration is preliminary. Formal pledges, memorandums of understanding and operational details have yet to be negotiated, and further clarity will depend on discussions among the Board of Peace, potential contributors and the United States.