The US military plans to divide Gaza into an Israeli-controlled "green" zone and a "red" zone to be left in ruins, The Guardian reported on Friday.
The plan, seen by US military planning officials who spoke to the newspaper, aims to encourage Palestinians to move into the Israeli-controlled zones behind the "Yellow Line".
"As things progress and you create conditions for there to be significant progress on reconstruction, you [will] have Gazan civilians moving there beginning to thrive," the report quoted a US official as saying. "People will say, 'hey, we want that', and so it evolves in that direction. No one's talking about a military operation to force it."
International forces will join the Israeli army in the "green area" controlled by the army, which currently comprises more than 50 percent of Gaza.
The Guardian report said that US Central Command (CENTOM) had drawn up plans earlier this month to include hundreds of British, French, and German troops in the international stabilisation force (ISF) for Gaza. The plan also aims to recruit troops from Germany, the Netherlands and Nordic states to manage field hospitals, logistics, and intelligence.
US President Donald Trump has ruled out putting US troops on the ground in Gaza. One source cited in the report described the plans as "fanciful", saying that any European states are hesitant about long foreign missions after the experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Muslim-majority states involved in the implementation of Trump's peace plan have already expressed reservations about the mandate and scope of the peacekeeping force's work. Jordan has said it will not commit troops, and emphasised that peacekeepers must not be expected to enforce the deal, including disarming Hamas. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, has said it will not join the stabilisation force until military action ends.
Another document outlines plans to deploy the foreign troops at crossings along the area of Israeli control, raising the potential for troops to be caught in any crossfire between Israel and Palestinian fighters. The plan, which says international forces will be "integrating" with Israeli forces, raises further concerns that the ISF will be seen as supporting the Israeli occupation.
"The first step is to get the resolution. Countries won't make final commitments until they actually see the text of the adopted resolution," the US official said, referring to next week's UN Security Council draft resolution vote on the Gaza peace plan. The draft submitted by the US retains the controversial proposal to have Gaza overseen by a foreign-led 'Board of Peace', with Trump at its head.
At present, Israel has demarcated a 'Yellow line' dividing Gaza into eastern areas under its control, with areas where Hamas is reasserting authority on the other side. Israeli forces have killed Palestinians accused of approaching the line, including 11 members of the same family who were travelling in a bus when it was struck by Israeli fire last month.
On the Israeli side of the line are also Israeli-backed Palestinian militias who have been armed by Tel Aviv to oppose Hamas. The militias are accused of looting aid to Gaza and other criminal activities.
The UN estimated in April that 92 percent of residential units in Gaza had been destroyed or damaged. Since the ceasefire came into force on 10 October, Israel has continued to destroy houses and residential blocks.