Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel will decide which foreign forces can participate in the planned international mission in Gaza, aimed at securing a fragile ceasefire under U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
It remains uncertain which countries will contribute troops, with Hamas’s refusal to disarm complicating the plan and Israel expressing reservations about the composition of the proposed force. The Trump administration has ruled out deploying U.S. troops but is in discussions with Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan about joining the mission.
“We are in control of our security,” Netanyahu told his cabinet. “Israel will determine which international forces are unacceptable to us, and this will continue to be our policy. The United States fully supports this,” he added.
Israeli opposition to Turkish participation
Netanyahu recently hinted that he would reject any Turkish involvement in the Gaza force, as relations between Türkiye and Israel have deteriorated sharply since the Gaza conflict began. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been one of Israel’s most vocal critics, condemning its military campaign.
During his visit to Israel on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the force should consist only of “countries that Israel is comfortable with.” He did not comment on Türkiye’s potential participation but confirmed that the U.S. is exploring a U.N. resolution or international agreement to authorise the deployment, with discussions to continue in Qatar on Sunday.
Hamas and the hostage issue
A key obstacle to Trump’s plan is Hamas’s refusal to lay down its weapons. Since the ceasefire began two weeks ago — the first stage of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan — Hamas has cracked down violently on internal rivals testing its control.
Meanwhile, Israel says 13 bodies of deceased hostages remain in Gaza. A government spokesperson said Hamas knows their locations and could recover them if it chose to. Israel has authorised an Egyptian technical team, working with the Red Cross, to search beyond the “yellow line” — the boundary marking the Israeli military’s initial pullback — using excavators and trucks.
Netanyahu reaffirms independence
Opening Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Netanyahu dismissed claims that the U.S. dictates Israeli security policy. “Israel is an independent country,” he said, describing the U.S. relationship as a partnership, not subordination.
Diplomats and analysts say Trump succeeded in convincing Netanyahu — who had long resisted calls for a Gaza ceasefire — to accept a broader peace framework. Trump also reportedly pushed Netanyahu to apologise to Qatar’s leader after a failed airstrike targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha and persuaded Arab states to pressure Hamas into returning all Israeli hostages, a key demand of his plan.
At least 70 people are missing and two bodies have been recovered after a boat carrying migrants capsi...
The U.S. rescued an airman missing from one of two warplanes downed in Iran, two U.S. officials said, as President...
Fuel leaked at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, while the NORSI oil refinery caught fire following drone attacks, Russian authorities sa...
Israeli airstrikes on the town of Kfar Hatta in Lebanon have reportedly killed six people and injured two, acco...
The United States rescued an airman caught behind lines after Iran shot down his F-15 fighter jet, the U.S. govern...
At least 70 people are missing and two bodies have been recovered after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, an Italian NGO said on Sunday (5 April).
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United States.
India has purchased crude oil from Iran for the first time in seven years, as supply disruptions in the Middle East threaten global energy markets.
British police have arrested a fourth person in connection with an arson attack on ambulances belonging to a Jewish community charity. The arrest took place at a London court on Saturday, where three other suspects were already appearing.
One U.S. crew member has been rescued after two American warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, as the search continues for a missing pilot, while President Donald Trump has given Tehran 48 hours to agree to a deal to end the war.
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and protect commercial shipping, diplomats said on Friday, amid opposition from China to any authorisation of force.
The U.S. rescued an airman missing from one of two warplanes downed in Iran, two U.S. officials said, as President Donald Trump and Israel stepped up pressure on Iran to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on energy facilities.
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United States.
Senegal has taken steps to curb government spending by banning non-essential foreign travel for ministers, as rising global oil prices place increasing pressure on the country’s finances.
At least 70 people are missing and two bodies have been recovered after a boat carrying migrants capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, an Italian NGO said on Sunday (5 April).
Fuel leaked at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, while the NORSI oil refinery caught fire following drone attacks, Russian authorities said on Sunday (5 April).
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United States.
British police have arrested a fourth person in connection with an arson attack on ambulances belonging to a Jewish community charity. The arrest took place at a London court on Saturday, where three other suspects were already appearing.
Senegal has taken steps to curb government spending by banning non-essential foreign travel for ministers, as rising global oil prices place increasing pressure on the country’s finances.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment