The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) announced on April 26 that it had sent a team to Gaza to examine an area where its troops may operate in the future. “During this visit, the team will conduct a preliminary assessment and coordination of activities for the KSF contingent operating as part of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) peacekeeping mission in Gaza,” the KSF wrote on an official social media page. The territory remains kinetic despite a ceasefire, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) provided new details on April 27 about Israeli military activity in Gaza over recent weeks.
The situation in Gaza has remained largely the same since the enclave entered a second phase of the US and UN-backed peace plan in January 2026. The Israeli military controls approximately half of the territory while Palestinians control the other half, a division demarcated by what the IDF calls the “Yellow Line.” In April, the IDF continued reporting that Hamas and other entities regularly violated the ceasefire, which began in October 2025. It is also unclear if Hamas will agree to the disarmament that is required by the peace plan.
Kosovo has taken a proactive role in contributing to an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. The country’s parliament agreed to send forces to the ISF on April 17. “The ISF is yet to deploy to help maintain peace and assist in rebuilding Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which Kosovo has joined. Indonesia, Albania and Kazakhstan are among other countries that have promised to participate in ISF,” The Times of Israel reported at the time.
On April 26, the KSF posted photos and a statement about a team of soldiers who had traveled to Gaza. The team is shown wearing patches with “ISF” on them. Chargé d’Affaires of Kosovo to the State of Israel Ines Demiri confirmed in a text to FDD’s Long War Journal that the photos show soldiers from both Kosovo and Albania. There were no further details about the Albanian troops. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama praised US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and the Gaza peace plan in February.
Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari, the commander of the KSF, sent the team to Gaza to examine an area where the troops are expected to operate. The team held meetings and discussions with unspecified officials from the Gaza administration. They also met with members of the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), which was set up by US Central Command in mid-October 2025 in the wake of the ceasefire.
“During these meetings, the process of integrating the KSF contingent, developing joint operations, and coordinating logistical support were discussed,” the KSF noted. The Times of Israel reported that Kosovo is expected to contribute dozens of troops from its 4,000-strong military. While several other countries were expected to deploy forces by May 2026, there are no recent reports on when troops from Morocco, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Albania, and other states may be sent. High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov last spoke to the UN about the Gaza plan on March 24.
In Gaza, the IDF provided new details on operations of its 252nd Division, one of several divisions operating in the enclave. The IDF said that the unit has carried out operations to continue to dismantle Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the northern part of Gaza. One tunnel that was located and destroyed was 8.6 miles (14 kilometers) long. In another incident, the IDF said on April 26 that Israeli troops dismantled a tunnel that was around half a mile long.
The IDF also struck a Hamas cell on April 23 and targeted terrorists who were carrying weapons. Incidents in which the Israeli military targets threats that it says approach the Yellow Line have occurred almost daily in Gaza. The IDF said that the Northern Brigade of its Gaza Division had “eliminated approximately 70 terrorists who violated the ceasefire agreement and posed an immediate threat to the troops, in recent months.”
Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
Tags: Gaza, IDF, International Stabilization Force, Israel, Israel Hamas, Israel Hamas Ceasefire Violations, Kosovo Security Force
