Pakistan to send 20,000 troops to Gaza: Task is to ‘neutralise Hamas’; Iran, Turkey, Qatar may see ‘betrayal’

A volunteer offers drink as Pakistani soldiers escort a Shiite Muslim religious procession in Quetta on July 3, 2025, during the Islamic holy month of Muharram in the lead-up to Ashura. (Photo by Banaras KHAN / AFP)

In what intelligence officials describe as a desperate attempt to buy legitimacy and financial relief, Pakistan is reportedly preparing to send nearly 20,000 troops to Gaza under a Western-backed post-war stabilisation plan. According to a CNN-News18 report citing top intelligence sources, the proposal follows a series of secret meetings between Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, Israel’s Mossad officials, and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Egypt earlier this month.

If confirmed, this would mark Pakistan’s first-ever indirect engagement in Israeli security operations, an extraordinary shift for a country that has never formally recognised Israel and has long used anti-Israel rhetoric to mobilise domestic Islamist sentiment.

A covert pact under Western watch

As reported by CNN-News18, the plan envisions a “controlled Pakistani military presence in Gaza” disguised as a humanitarian mission focused on rehabilitation and reconstruction. However, intelligence sources said Pakistan’s real task would be to “neutralise remaining Hamas elements and stabilise the territory under Western instructions.”

The operation reportedly positions Pakistani troops as a “buffer force” between Israel and Gaza’s militant remnants, ensuring security while facilitating reconstruction efforts. Islamabad would join Indonesia and Azerbaijan in what sources describe as a “post-war enforcement framework” guided by Western and Arab intermediaries.

Economic lifeline in exchange for obedience

In return, CNN-News18’s sources said Washington and Tel Aviv have offered Pakistan a set of economic concessions, including World Bank loan leniency, deferred repayment schedules, and financial support through Gulf intermediaries. “It is a survival bargain, economic relief and global legitimacy in exchange for Western security service,” one intelligence official told the channel.

The report adds that Pakistan’s cooperation is already being “quietly rewarded” through temporary diplomatic relief. Western governments have reportedly reduced criticism over Islamabad’s human rights record, while India has eased military pressure along the Line of Control.

Signs of a policy shift toward Israel

Adding to the speculation, intelligence inputs cited by CNN-News18 suggest that Pakistan has removed the line “Passport not valid for Israel” from new editions of its passports, a move seen as a soft diplomatic gesture toward Tel Aviv. Israeli media reports have described Pakistan’s potential involvement as “delicate but strategically useful,” though it has sparked unease among Muslim-majority nations.

Regional backlash looms

Iran, Turkey, and Qatar are expected to fiercely oppose the deployment, viewing Pakistan’s move as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause and a capitulation to Western interests. Analysts say the decision could ignite anger within Pakistan’s powerful Islamist circles, many of whom still consider Israel an existential enemy.

According to CNN-News18, Washington and Tel Aviv see Pakistan’s military as “an instrument for regional balancing against Iran and indirect enforcement in Gaza without Israeli boots on the ground.” For Islamabad, the report concludes, “this is less about ideology and more about survival, a desperate geopolitical bargain for economic breathing space.”