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.
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Ismail Omar Guelleh has been re-elected for a sixth term with 97.8% of the vote, according to state media, extending his nearly three-decade hold on power in the small but strategically significant East African nation.
Kazakhstan and Armenia are moving to deepen bilateral ties as shifting dynamics in the South Caucasus reopen long-blocked transport routes and create new economic opportunities.
Australia and Singapore have agreed to deepen cooperation on energy security as global fuel markets come under strain from disruption linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
Israeli and Lebanese envoys are set to meet in Washington on Tuesday in a rare U.S.-driven diplomatic effort to halt escalating violence between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has given an instruction for Israel to begin peace talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming of Hezbollah.
Amid fragile calm, António Guterres urged constructive U.S.- Iran talks, while Pope Leo XIV warned violence is spreading. Lebanon's President said an Israeli strike killed 13 security personnel in Nabatieh.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to continue dialogue and avoid steps that could worsen tensions after China-hosted talks in Urumqi, with Kabul and Beijing saying the meetings focused on easing differences and improving relations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Vice President JD Vance have arrived in Islamabad for talks aimed at easing regional tensions, as Pakistan hosts the discussions. Meanwhile, Lebanon and Israel are set to hold rare negotiations in Washington next Tuesday.
Memorial events were held in Tehran’s main squares on Wednesday (8 April) to mark the 40th day since the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died during U.S.-Israeli attacks on 28 February.
Ismail Omar Guelleh has been re-elected for a sixth term with 97.8% of the vote, according to state media, extending his nearly three-decade hold on power in the small but strategically significant East African nation.
Australia and Singapore have agreed to deepen cooperation on energy security as global fuel markets come under strain from disruption linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
Donald Trump’s flagship plan for post-war Gaza has come under scrutiny after reports that its financing is falling short of expectations, claims firmly rejected by the White House-backed Board of Peace.
A charity co-founded by Prince Harry in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana, is suing him for libel at the High Court in London, according to a court record published on Friday (10 April).
The European Union and Washington are nearing an agreement to coordinate the production and security of critical minerals, Bloomberg News reported on Friday (10 April).
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