International stabilization force set for Gaza to be on ground 'very soon': Trump

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Donald Trump said that a US-coordinated international stabilization force set for Gaza will be on the ground soon, also touting the current ceasefire.

"It's going to be very soon. And Gaza is working out very well," Trump said at a Thursday summit at the White House with the presidents of the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.

Arguing despite a series of ceasefire violations by Israel that “peace in Gaza” is going well and the ceasefire is holding, Trump said they are working closely with regional countries and allies.

On his Thursday announcement that Kazakhstan is set to join the Abraham Accords between Israel and majority-Muslim nations, Trump said he hoped other Central Asian nations would join and help bring the process new momentum.

Asked if he would discuss the accords with Syrian President Ahmad Sharaa when he visits the White House next Monday, Trump did not address the question, but said: “I think he's doing a very good job. It's a tough neighborhood, and he's a tough guy, but I got along with him very well, and a lot of progress has been made with Syria."

On the lifting of sanctions on Syria, Trump said: “That's a tough one, but a lot of progress has been made. You know, we took the sanctions off at the request of Türkiye, at the request of actually, Israel, at the request of a few different countries, and we took the sanctions off to give them a chance.”

The UN Security Council voted Thursday to lift sanctions from Sharaa and Syria’s interior minister.