Why Israel Should Be Cautious About Pakistani Troops in Gaza

by Anna Mahjar-Barducci • December 31, 2025 at 5:00 am

These examples demonstrate how freely Hamas operatives function within Pakistan. Allowing Pakistani troops into Gaza would therefore pose serious infiltration and counterintelligence risks. Unlike a genuinely neutral peacekeeping force, Pakistani soldiers may be unwilling — or ideologically disinclined — to confront Hamas. In a worst-case scenario, some elements could covertly assist Hamas fighters in evading disarmament.
Pakistani media have reported that Islamabad does not wish to be perceived as a "B-team of the Israeli military focused solely on disarming Hamas." Such statements underscore the likelihood of operational friction and divided loyalties on the ground.
Another major risk involves intelligence leakage.... Reports have previously alleged ISI involvement in facilitating Hamas outreach across South Asia, including visits to Bangladesh and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to energize jihadist networks.
For Israel, the implications are clear. A Pakistani role in Gaza could undermine efforts to dismantle Hamas's military infrastructure. In a mission intended to stabilize Gaza and dismantle Hamas, entrusting security to a state that openly legitimizes the terror group risks transforming the stabilization force into a Trojan horse for Hamas's survival.

A Pakistani role in Gaza could undermine efforts to dismantle Hamas's military infrastructure. In a mission intended to stabilize Gaza and dismantle Hamas, entrusting security to a state that openly legitimizes the terror group risks transforming the stabilization force into a Trojan horse for Hamas's survival. Pictured: A Pakistani soldier on a UN peacekeeping force in Kamanyola, Democratic Republic of Congo on February 28, 2024. (Photo by Glody Murhabazi/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli officials report that three countries have agreed to Washington's request to participate in a postwar Gaza "International Stabilization Force" (ISF). The identities of all three have not been disclosed, though Indonesia may be one of them. Earlier reports also identified Pakistan as a possible contributor to the ISF.

Given the sensitivity of any postwar security arrangement in Gaza, the credibility and neutrality of participating forces are critical. A closer examination of Pakistan's record raises serious concerns about whether it can play a constructive or impartial role in such a mission.

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2026: The Year of Living Dangerously

by Lawrence Kadish • December 31, 2025 at 4:00 am

(Image generated by Google Gemini)

The British were the first to develop the aircraft carrier as an emerging weapon of war. But it was the Japanese who perfected the ship by combining as many as four aircraft carriers into a single battle group and deploying a task force that led to their devastating strike against the American fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Nearly a century later, another ally, the State of Israel, has pioneered asymmetrical warfare in which they combine their technological superiority in gathering intelligence with precision strikes to counter enemies who seek their destruction. The Israelis' continued success can be found from the use of explosive pagers that took out Hezbollah terrorists, to hidden computer malware that disabled Iranian uranium enrichment. Their exploits could fill a book.

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