Israel won’t accept Turkish army in Gaza force: Minister

Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international force the United States has proposed to

oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israel’s top diplomat said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Israel said on Monday it had allowed a team including Red Cross staff, Egyptian rescuers, and a Hamas member to search for the bodies of deceased hostages in Gaza.

“The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the (Israeli army) Yellow Line position in Gaza under close (Israeli army) supervision to identify the location of our hostages,” Israel government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told journalists. A Red Cross spokesperson also confirmed it was part of the team searching for hostage bodies.

The 20-point deal brokered by US President Donald Trump earlier this month calls for a force to monitor the ceasefire but does not mention which countries would provide troops.

It says the US would “work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force” to deploy in Gaza. The force would train and provide support to “vetted Palestinian police forces” and will “consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field.”

The ceasefire agreement calls for Israeli troops to gradually withdraw from more areas of Gaza as the international force “establishes control and stability” and as Hamas disarm.

Countries that are considering taking part also want more clarity on the force’s mandate. Officials from some Arab and Muslim nations have said the focus must be on peacekeeping in Gaza, not acting as an enforcer of peace between Israel and Hamas.

“What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it’s peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that,” King Abdullah II of Jordan said in an interview with the BBC.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to Hungary, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel opposes the participation of Turkish troops in Gaza because of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ‘s longstanding hostility to Israel. Saar said Israel has communicated its stance to US officials.

“Countries that want or are ready to send armed forces should be at least fair to Israel,” Saar said. He did not elaborate.

US officials have said there would be no American boots on the ground in Gaza. Around 200 US troops are now in Israel working alongside its military and other countries’ delegations at a coordination center, planning Gaza’s stabilisation and reconstruction.

During visits to Israel last week, US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said multiple countries would be interested in joining the international force for Gaza.

The US was working to secure a UN mandate or other international authorization for it, Rubio said.

At a summit in Egypt two weeks ago, Erdogan was one of four leaders to sign a document outlining Trump’s vision for Gaza and regional peace. The others were Trump, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sissi.

Erdogan last week said Turkey was “ready to provide all kinds of support to Gaza.” Officials from Turkey’s Defence Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the country was preparing for whatever role it might be asked to play, whether it’s peacekeeping or humanitarian assistance.

Erdogan has criticised Israel, and particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since the start of the war, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Aid agencies complain that humanitarian convoys still do not have enough access to Gaza to alleviate the famine conditions in parts of the territory, and families there are still going hungry.

AFP journalists followed the family of 62-year-old grandmother Hiam Muqdad for a day in their Gaza City neighbourhood, where they live in a tent next to their ruined home and her barefoot grandchildren gather domestic waste and twigs to burn to heat water.

Agencies