Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will determine which countries may contribute troops to a planned international force to be deployed in Gaza as part of a ceasefire under US President Donald Trump’s plan.
It remains unclear whether Arab or other states will be willing to commit soldiers, partly due to Hamas’ refusal to disarm as stipulated by the plan, as well as Israel’s concerns about the makeup of the force.
While the Trump administration has ruled out sending US soldiers into the Gaza Strip, it has been speaking to Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute to the multinational force.
“We are in control of our security, and we have also made it clear regarding international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, and this is how we operate and will continue to operate,” Netanyahu said.
“This is, of course, acceptable to the United States as well, as its most senior representatives have expressed in recent days,” he told a session of his cabinet.
Last week, Netanyahu said he would be opposed to any role for Turkish security forces in Gaza.
