Netanyahu hints at opposition to any Turkish forces in Gaza

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Wednesday at his opposition to any role for Turkish security forces in the Gaza Strip as part of a mission to monitor a U.S.-backed ceasefire with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Speaking in Jerusalem alongside visiting U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Netanyahu said they had discussed the "day-after" for Gaza, including who could provide security in the territory shattered by two years of war. 

Vance, who said on Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan was going better than expected, reiterated his optimism. "I never said it was easy. But what I am is optimistic that the ceasefire is going to hold and that we can actually build a better future in the entire Middle East," he said.    

Having secured a ceasefire, mediators are focused on the second phase of Trump's Gaza plan which demands Hamas disarm and foresees the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force that would train and support vetted Palestinian police.

NETANYAHU HAS 'STRONG OPINIONS' ON TURKISH ROLE IN GAZA

Responding to a question about the idea of Turkish security forces in Gaza, Netanyahu said: "We will decide together about that. So I have very strong opinions about that. Want to guess what they are?"

Vance said on Tuesday there would be a "constructive role" for Turkey to play as the truce moved towards the next stage.

Once warm relations between NATO member Turkey and Israel hit new lows during the Gaza war, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticising Israel's attacks on the enclave and elsewhere in the Middle East.    

Turkey, which helped persuade Hamas to accept Trump's plan, has said it would take part in the international task force to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire, and that its armed forces could serve in a military or civilian capacity as needed. 

Two weeks ago, Erdogan said Turkey could play a role "in the field", while a senior official told Reuters that it will take part in the joint task force - alongside Israel, the United States, Qatar and Egypt - established to locate the bodies of deceased hostages in Gaza whose locations were unknown.

Under the first phase of Trump's plan, a ceasefire began 12 days ago. It was followed by the release of remaining living hostages seized in Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, and the freeing of some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

But the ceasefire has remained fragile, with flashes of violence and recriminations over the pace of returning hostage bodies, bringing in aid and opening borders. 

"We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas, but rebuild Gaza to make life better for the people of Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel," Vance said.

Israeli forces have killed at least 87 Palestinians, among them civilians, since the ceasefire began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and two Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian militants in southern Gaza over the weekend.

Hamas' attack on Israel that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies, with another 251 dragged into Gaza as hostages. Israeli attacks have killed more than 68,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Jonathan Spicer in Turkey; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton)