Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel will determine which foreign forces it will allow as part of a planned international force in the Gaza Strip to help end the war under US President Donald Trump's plan, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
It is still unclear whether Arab and other countries will be ready to provide troops, while Israel has expressed concerns about the composition of the force. While the Trump administration has ruled out sending US troops to Gaza, the force could include troops from Egypt, Indonesia and Gulf Arab states, Reuters reported.
"We control our security and we have also made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, that is the way we work and will continue to work," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.
"This is, of course, acceptable to the United States, as its highest representatives have said in recent days.“
Israel, which has besieged Gaza for two years to support its air and ground war in the enclave against "Hamas" following the Palestinian militant group's cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, continues to control all access to the territory.
Israel opposes Turkish involvement in Gaza forces
Last week, Netanyahu hinted that he would oppose any role for Turkish security forces in the Gaza Strip. Once-warm Turkish-Israeli relations hit a new low during the Gaza war, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticizing Israel's devastating air and ground war in the Palestinian enclave.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to Israel to shore up a fragile ceasefire, said on Friday that the international force should consist of "countries that Israel feels comfortable with," but declined to comment specifically on Turkey's participation.
Rubio added that the future governance of Gaza still had to be agreed upon between Israel and partner countries but could not include Hamas.
Rubio later said that US officials were receiving information about a possible UN resolution or international agreement to authorize a multinational force in Gaza and would discuss the issue in Qatar on Tuesday.
The Trump administration wants Arab states to provide funds and troops.
The main challenge is that "Hamas" has not committed to disarmament and, since a ceasefire was agreed two weeks ago as the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan, has launched a violent crackdown on groups that have tried to undermine his rule. Netanyahu also said on Monday that Israel is an independent state and rejected the idea that "the American administration controls and dictates Israel's security policy". He stressed that Israel and the United States are "partners".
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported, citing an Israeli official, that the Red Cross was working with "Hamas" to find the bodies of the dead Israeli hostages in Gaza, Reuters reported.