US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Israel would have a decisive say over the composition of an international peacekeeping force for Gaza, amid reports that the Israeli government opposes any participation by Turkey.
Speaking during a visit to a coordination center in southern Israel that monitors the Gaza ceasefire, Rubio said the force must be made up of countries “Israel is comfortable with.” The statement came as Washington seeks to assemble a stabilization mission to secure Gaza following the two-year military onslaught that devastated the enclave.
Israel has reportedly voiced objections to potential Turkish involvement in the force. Turkey, a NATO member with one of the region’s most powerful militaries, has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and maintains open political channels with Hamas.
Rubio said many countries had expressed interest in contributing troops but that the United States had not yet finalized the list. “We have not yet formed this force,” he told reporters, adding that it would likely require an international mandate from the United Nations or another multilateral agreement.
He said Washington’s immediate priority was to ensure that the ceasefire holds and that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Gaza, where more than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s military campaign began in October 2023, according to local health authorities.
Rubio also ruled out any future role for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), accusing the body of acting as “an offshoot of Hamas.”
The United States has been leading diplomatic efforts to implement a ceasefire deal brokered by President Donald Trump that calls for an international force to manage security and reconstruction in Gaza. Turkey, Egypt and Qatar have been involved in mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas since the truce took effect earlier this month.
© Agence France-Presse