A number of countries have offered to take part in the international stabilization force expected to operate in Gaza, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, even as key details, including its mandate, were still being negotiated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would determine “which forces are unacceptable to us.”
“This is, of course, acceptable to the United States as well, as its most senior representatives have expressed in recent days,” Netanyahu told a session of his Cabinet.
During a visit to Israel, Rubio said Friday that the force would have to be made up of countries that Israel is “comfortable with,” adding that any potential role for the Palestinian Authority has yet to be determined.
The discussions come as President Donald Trump said the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza remained strong, even as Israel launched a fresh airstrike in the enclave on Saturday, and as tensions escalate over the bodies of 13 hostages that remain in Gaza.
Israeli forces carried out a “targeted strike” on an individual in central Gaza on Saturday, Israel’s military said, the latest incident since the ceasefire came into effect.
The attack targeted “a terrorist from the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization who planned to carry out an imminent terrorist attack against IDF troops,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
On Saturday, Rubio said a number of countries have offered to take part in the force to support the demilitarization of Gaza and monitor compliance with the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
But he stressed that many governments first need clarity on the force’s legal basis and rules of engagement.
“I think they’d want to know what’s the mandate, what’s the mission, what are the rules of engagement, what is this force supposed to do,” Rubio told reporters. “All of that’s being worked on.”
Rubio added that the force would have to be an “international mission” that could work as part of an agreement through the United Nations.
“A lot of countries have expressed interest,” he said, without specifying which countries. “I think they want to know what it is they’re signing up for, which is a very reasonable thing.”
Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Azerbaijan were among the countries that had “raised their hand” to contribute, two senior U.S. advisers said last week.
Trump said Saturday he discussed the Gaza peace deal with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a meeting aboard Air Force One on Saturday on his way to Asia.
Asked by reporters after the meeting when a stabilization force would be ready to deploy in Gaza, Trump replied, “pretty quickly.”
“They’re actually picking leaders right now,” he said. “This is real peace.”
A U.S.-backed ceasefire remains in force in Gaza, but each side has accused the other of violations. As part of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas returned all living Israeli hostages, but the remains of 13 are still in the enclave. The group has warned it will take time to locate and recover the remains.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said that Hamas must return the remaining bodies of deceased hostages, or “the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action.”
“When I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours,” he wrote.
