Defence minister: BiH troops to join stabilisation force in Gaza

"We are in talks and expect our troops to participate in the peacekeeping operations in Gaza. We have not one but several units ready for this. We now just need to complete our domestic procedure," Helez told reporters in Sarajevo during a ceremony marking Armed Forces Day.

On 17 November, the UN Security Council, acting on a US proposal, approved a resolution endorsing President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. The resolution provides for the establishment of a "stabilisation force" to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The multinational mission would be led by the United States.

The international stabilisation force is to oversee the demilitarisation of Gaza, with a mandate that includes destroying weapons left after two years of fighting and dismantling military infrastructure used by the warring parties.

Helez did not specify what role BiH troops might have in Gaza but stressed that some units are fully capable of carrying out NATO-standard tasks.

"We have units certified to NATO standards, and I say this with pride," Helez said.

Despite internal political disputes and ongoing obstruction by the authorities of the Republika Srpska entity on the country's path towards NATO membership, Helez remains convinced that BiH will eventually join the Alliance.

"We are by far the closest to NATO membership among all candidate countries," he said.

BiH established unified armed forces only in 2006, when the former warring armies, the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), the BiH Army and the Republika Srpska Army, were integrated into a single structure. Its declared strength includes up to 10,000 professional soldiers and officers, plus 5,000 members of the active reserve.