Web Desk; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that Israel would determine which foreign forces would be permitted to participate in an international mission to Gaza, aimed at maintaining a fragile ceasefire proposed under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
Netanyahu said that Israel’s security control was non-negotiable, adding that the US administration had accepted Israel’s stance on vetting any international troops. “Israel will decide which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we will continue to operate,” he told his cabinet.
Washington, while ruling out sending American troops, is in talks with several countries—including Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, and Azerbaijan—to contribute to the planned multinational force. However, Israel has expressed reservations, particularly about any role for Turkish forces.
Relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv have remained tense since the Gaza war, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply condemning Israel’s military operations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the international force should consist of countries that “Israel is comfortable with.” He also confirmed that Washington was working with partners on a possible UN resolution to authorise the mission and would continue discussions in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials confirmed that the remains of 13 hostages killed during the Gaza conflict were still in the enclave. Hamas, they said, was aware of their locations but had cited difficulties in recovering the bodies due to widespread destruction.
An Egyptian technical team, assisted by the Red Cross, has been allowed entry into Gaza to locate the bodies using heavy machinery in areas recently vacated by Israeli forces.
Netanyahu rejected suggestions that Washington dictated Israel’s policies, asserting that Israel was a sovereign nation and that its relationship with the US was one of “partnership, not dependency.”
Diplomatic sources said President Trump had played a crucial role in persuading Netanyahu to agree to the ceasefire plan and to apologise to Qatar after a failed airstrike targeting Hamas negotiators. The US also pressured Arab states to urge Hamas to release all Israeli hostages as part of the deal.
