Israel is refusing to allow work to begin on a military outpost in Gaza that is central to the Board of Peace, the US-chaired body set up to oversee the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, according to a report by the Guardian. Contractors and trucks have not been permitted to cross into the territory, a person with direct knowledge of the project said. "Israel won't open the border," the source said. The Board of Peace declined to comment, as did the Israeli military and government.
In early August, the board awarded its first construction contract in Gaza to Arkel International, a company based in the US state of Louisiana. It is to build a fortified site of roughly 100 by 100 metres for 150 international troops, on land once used by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. That US-backed group delivered aid under the protection of private contractors from May to October 2025. The troops would serve short rotations and form the vanguard of an international stabilization force. They would come from a contingent of 500 already sent from Morocco and Kosovo. Two months after the contract was issued, the work has not started.
The source said the delay threatens the wider programme. Without the stabilization force, they argued, there is no security, and therefore no way to bring in construction equipment, install utilities or build basic life-support facilities. The Board of Peace reportedly believes Israel will let the project go ahead after Israeli elections scheduled for 27 October, which ties the plan's fate to domestic Israeli politics.
The board was formed after the October 2025 ceasefire and was authorized by the UN. President Donald Trump chairs it for life, and its executive board includes his son-in-law Jared Kushner and the envoy Steve Witkoff. Many Western democracies have kept their distance, although 28 countries joined as founding members. On 23 September, the board unveiled a six-month, $2.45bn plan as a first step in a reconstruction effort estimated to cost $71bn over ten years. Witkoff said the group could "point to real progress", and a senior adviser announced a new fund for donations.
The stalled base highlights the gap between those ambitions and conditions on the ground. Israel has continued strikes in Gaza since the ceasefire, which have killed about 1,400 people, according to Gaza health authorities. The board is central to Trump's claim to have ended the war, so the delay raises questions about whether the truce can be consolidated and reconstruction can begin.