Israel PM rejects Turkish, Qatari soldiers in Gaza force

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday there would be no place for Turkish or Qatari soldiers in post-war Gaza and reiterated Israel’s objection to the composition of a US-backed advisory panel for the Palestinian territory.

As part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, the White House announced last week a “Board of Peace”, chaired by Trump himself, a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern the war-wracked territory, and a second “Gaza executive board” that appears designed to have a more advisory role.

Netanyahu has previously expressed objections to the make-up of the “Gaza executive board”.

“In the Gaza Strip, we are on the eve of phase two of the Trump plan. Phase two means one simple thing: Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised,” Netanyahu said in parliament.

“There will be no Turkish or Qatari soldiers in the Gaza Strip,” he added, in an apparent reference to the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for the territory set out under the Trump plan.

It is yet to be determined which contingents will make up the force, which will be tasked with providing security in Gaza and training a new police force to succeed Hamas.

Trump on Friday named US Major General Jasper Jeffers to head the ISF in Gaza.

On Monday, Netanyahu went on to say: “We have a certain disagreement with our friends in the United States regarding the composition of the advisory council that will accompany the processes in Gaza.”

Netanyahu’s office objected on Saturday to the composition of the “Gaza executive board”, which includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, alongside other regional and international officials.

“The Prime Minister has instructed the Foreign Affairs Minister to contact the US Secretary of State on this matter,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday.

It did not explain the reason for its objection, but Israel has previously objected strongly to any Turkish role in post-war Gaza, with relations between the two countries deteriorating sharply since the war began in October 2023.

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