Israel’s Netanyahu Gets Full US Backing to Bar “Unacceptable” Nations from Gaza Force

The United States is in full lockstep with Israel regarding the future of Gaza, backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand to veto “unacceptable” nations from a planned peacekeeping force. Netanyahu announced Sunday that “Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us,” a position he confirmed is “acceptable to the United States as well.”
This alignment was solidified by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Israel. Rubio stated the force must be composed of “countries that Israel’s comfortable with” and that Hamas must be excluded from any future governance. The US, however, has ruled out sending its own soldiers.
This declaration comes as the Trump-brokered truce, which began October 10, faces significant hurdles, including Hamas’s refusal to disarm. Netanyahu has already signaled his intent to use this veto power to block any participation from Turkey.
The ceasefire’s stability is also in question. An Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday, which Israel claimed targeted militants, was decried by Hamas as a “clear violation.”
Furthermore, a dispute over the exchange of remains is testing the agreement. Donald Trump has publicly warned Hamas to accelerate the return of Israeli hostage bodies, a process Hamas claims is slowed by the extensive destruction.