The UN Security Council adopted a resolution that endorses a peace plan for Gaza put forward by United States President Donald Trump and a temporary international force in the enclave following two years of war, on November 17, 2025. Resolution 2803 (2025) received 13 votes in favour, and none against, with permanent members China and Russia abstaining. A transitional governance mechanism named the Board of Peace – chaired by President Donald Trump under the U.S. peace plan which underpinned the October 8 ceasefire – would be formed to coordinate security, humanitarian and reconstruction planning. This would guide Gaza towards a reformed Palestinian governing authority. The resolution outlines a pathway towards Palestinian self-determination and eventual statehood, linked to accountable governance and reconstruction milestones. The resolution would provide international legal authority for a multinational security mission, seen by potential troop-contributing countries and donors as necessary for deployment. No UN peacekeeping presence is envisaged. {PHOTO: United Nations)
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution that endorses a peace plan for Gaza put forward by United States President Donald Trump and a temporary international force in the enclave following two years of war, on November 17, 2025.
Resolution 2803 (2025) received 13 votes in favour, and none against, with permanent members China and Russia abstaining.
The text welcomes the Compre-hensive Plan announced by President Trump on September 29. The first phase of the 20-point plan led to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel days later.
The resolution also welcomes the establishment of a Board of Peace (BoP) “as a transitional admin-istration” in Gaza that will coordinate reconstruction efforts.
It authorizes the BoP to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza “to deploy under unified command acceptable to the BoP”.
Countries will contribute personnel to the force “in close consultation and cooperation” with Egypt and Israel.
Its responsibilities would include securing Gaza’s borders, protecting civilians, facilitating humanitarian assistance, supporting the training and deployment of a reconstituted Palestinian police force, and over-seeing the permanent decommis-sioning of weapons held by Hamas and other armed groups in the enclave.
The text also indicates that Israeli forces would fully withdraw once the force has established security and operational control across the territory.
A transitional governance mecha-nism named the Board of Peace – chaired by President Donald Trump under the U.S. peace plan which underpinned the October 8 ceasefire – would be formed to coordinate security, humanitarian and reconstruction planning.
This would guide Gaza towards a reformed Palestinian governing authority. The resolution outlines a pathway towards Palestinian self-determination and eventual statehood, linked to accountable governance and reconstruction milestones.
The resolution would provide international legal authority for a multinational security mission, seen by potential troop-contributing cou-ntries and donors as necessary for deployment. No UN peacekeeping presence is envisaged.
It could represent a decisive transition from active conflict to stabilisation and reconstruction, com-bining security guarantees with re-forms to governance and services.
The vote also tests the Council’s ability to agree on a post-conflict framework for Gaza at a critical diplomatic moment, amid ongoing humanitarian needs and heightened regional tensions. Washington has reportedly warned that if the Council does not act now, it could lead to renewed infighting and the collapse of the fragile ceasefire.
The draft draws on recent international proposals calling for steps towards a ceasefire, release of all hostages, demilitarisation of armed groups, and reconstruction led by reformed Palestinian institutions.
Negotiations within the Council have reportedly focused on the governance structure, operational command, sequencing of security tasks and the extent of involvement of the Palestinian Authority.
Some members have raised con-cerns regarding external oversight and clarity over the end state of the mission.
“Thank you for joining us in charting a new course in the Middle East for Israelis and Palestinians and all the people of the region alike,” U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said after the vote. “Today’s resolution represents another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security.”
He said the ISF “will stabilize the security environment, support the demilitarization of Gaza, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, decommission weapons and maintain the safety of Palestinian civilians.”
Algerian Ambassador Amar Bendjama acknowledged the efforts undertaken by President Trump in advancing peace worldwide – but stressed that genuine peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved “without justice for the Palestinian people who have waited for decades for the establishment of their independent State.”
He noted that the text has received the support of Arab and Muslim countries and that “the Palestinian Authority at the highest level has openly welcomed the initiative”.
In explaining Russia’s decision to abstain, Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said the Council was in essence “giving its blessing to a U.S. initiative on the basis of Washington’s promises,” and “giving complete control over the Gaza Strip to the Board of Peace and the ISF, the modalities of which we know nothing about so far.”
As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the Security Council resolution paving the way for a consolidated ceasefire via a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza, UN aid teams warned that many Palestinian children in the enclave are in no shape to endure another harsh winter.
The resolution welcomes the transitional administration known as the “Board of Peace” to establish a temporary international force in Gaza and coordinate reconstruction efforts including the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
In a statement, the UN Secretary-General encouraged respect for the fragile ceasefire by all parties to the conflict, which was sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023.
He acknowledged the “continued diplomatic efforts” of Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, the United States and regional neighbours regarding the Gaza crisis, before stressing the importance of “moving towards” the second phase of the U.S. Plan, “leading to a political process for the achievement of the two-State solution, in line with previous United Nations resolutions”.
With winter approaching, UN humanitarian partners warn that shelter supplies entering Gaza remain far below what is needed. Fewer than 60,000 tents and just over 300,000 tarpaulins and bedding items have entered since early September, after a six-month ban was lifted.
“The volume of items going in is simply not enough,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. Child-protection partners have distributed 48,000 winter clothing kits since the ceasefire, offering some relief to families trying to keep children warm. Water and sanitation teams have reached around 400,000 people in the past two days with diapers, towels, jerry cans and other essential hygiene supplies.
Meanwhile in Gaza, aid agencies stressed on Nov. 18, that more than two years of destructive war between Hamas fighters and Israel and a chronic lack of all forms of assistance have left the enclave’s people exhausted.
With Gaza’s wastewater treatment system effectively destroyed, partners describe sanitation across the Strip as “deplorable”.
In northern Gaza, the Sheikh Radwan ponds are again at risk of overflowing, forcing emergency measures to drain sewage into the sea. Public health risks are rising, including the spread of bacterial infections linked to contaminated water and waste.
Nutrition partners report a slight fall in malnutrition cases in October, though admissions remain nearly four times higher than during the previous ceasefire in January.
In recent days, heavy rains have inundated worn-out tents that are sheltering people displaced multiple times because of the war, said Ricardo Pires, from the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
“We are seeing heartbreaking stories of desperate families feeling completely lost and exhausted after their tents got flooded,” he told journalists in Geneva.
“When children are sleeping in flooded tents without warm clothing or dry bedding, many lacking the required nutrition, with very low immunity and already traumatized by conflict, winter becomes extremely dangerous.”
Ricardo Pires noted that the recent bad weather in Gaza has sparked an increase in people seeking medical help – particularly among children weakened by “years of malnutrition, starvation, trauma (and) multiple displacements”.
The UNICEF officer also explained that because Israeli forces occupy more than 50% of the enclave, many of the areas where Palestinians have been forced to seek shelter are coastal and the most prone to flooding.
In a call for greater aid access, he stressed this was “part of the [peace] deal and we need to see more humanitarian corridors open”.
According to OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), more than 5,400 metric tonnes of aid were collected between Nov. 13 and 16, including shelter, medical and food items. The Zikim border crossing has reopened after staying shut for two months, bringing the number of available crossings to three.
Pires highlighted the importance of Zikim opening and said that recently UNICEF managed to bring in 96 pallets of high energy biscuits destined for the famine-stricken north of Gaza.
“We need more, a lot more,” he said. “Hopefully with the new plan, that will become a reality for children and families.”★
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