Pakistan has strongly dismissed as fake and baseless the Indian media reports claiming that the country has agreed to send 20,000 soldiers to Gaza under a secret deal involving US and Israeli intelligence agencies.
The Indian outlet Firstpost recently published a sensational story alleging that Pakistan had signed a deal to deploy its troops as part of an international stabilisation force in Gaza — a plan reportedly linked to former US President Donald Trump. However, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has categorically rejected the claim, calling it “completely fabricated and misleading.”
In a statement, the ministry clarified that no such meetings, understandings, or deals ever took place between Pakistan’s military, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or Israel’s Mossad. “Pakistan has never recognised Israel and has always upheld a principled stance in favour of Palestinian self-determination,” the ministry asserted.
The government further emphasised that neither the Foreign Office nor the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — the media wing of Pakistan’s armed forces — has issued any statement or announcement about deploying Pakistan troops in Gaza or participating in any international mission in the region.
According to Pakistan’s state broadcaster, Firstpost based its claims on CNN-News18 — a channel previously criticised for publishing unverified and speculative reports.
Meanwhile, the broader plan for an international peacekeeping force in Gaza was reportedly part of a US-led proposal aimed at maintaining a fragile ceasefire that took effect this month. The truce ended nearly two years of devastating conflict between Israel and the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas.
However, diplomatic complications continue to emerge. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar recently stated that Tel Aviv would not allow Turkish troops in Gaza under the proposed peace plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also made it clear that Israel alone would decide which foreign forces could enter the territory.
While Washington has ruled out sending its own troops, the US is reportedly in talks with Indonesia, Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Turkey, and Azerbaijan to contribute to the multinational mission.
