Kosovo's parliament has voted 89–0 to send several dozen security personnel to the International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza, a U.S.-backed peacekeeping and reconstruction initiative established following last year's Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The Balkan nation (which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a NATO intervention ended a brutal Serbian crackdown in 1999) framed the decision as a milestone shift from being a recipient of international security support to a contributor. Defence Minister Ejup Maqedonci said the contingent will include demining specialists tasked with humanitarian support and security assistance, and that final preparations — including troop vaccinations and visa processing — are under way with U.S. assistance; other countries committed to the ISF include Indonesia, Albania, and Kazakhstan.