Israel: Turkey Will Have No Role in Gaza Force

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 Monday.

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

• 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.
• Erdogan has criticized Israel, and particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since the start of the war, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. He has accused Israel of genocide—which Israel strongly denies—and has compared Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.
• 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 Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Last week, Erdogan said Turkey was "ready to provide all kinds of support to Gaza."
• During Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel last week, he said Turkey could play a "constructive role" but the US won't force anything on Israel "when it comes to foreign troops," the New York Times reports.

• 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 stabilization and reconstruction.
• The first phase of the ceasefire agreement focuses on the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel, which is awaiting the return of 13 more. On Monday, Hamas said it plans to hand over the remains of another hostage in Gaza.
• In exchange for the returned dead hostages, Israel has handed back to Gaza 195 Palestinian bodies, fewer than half of which have been identified. On Monday, 41 bodies were buried in the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah. Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of hostages still in Gaza. That work continued on Monday.