Israel Vows to Maintain Security Control in Gaza as Ceasefire Faces Early Tests and Violations
Israel insisted on Sunday that it will maintain control of security inside Gaza despite signing up to a US-brokered ceasefire that foresees the deployment of an international security force. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers Israel would decide for itself where and when to strike its foes and which countries would be allowed to send troops to police the truce. This stance comes amid reports of multiple violations since the truce began on October 9, 2025, including Israeli strikes that have killed dozens of Palestinians and accusations of breaches by both sides.
The ceasefire, part of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, has already been tested, with clashes leading to casualties and aid disruptions. As tensions simmer, the international community watches closely, hoping the deal holds despite the “rambunctiousness” on both sides.
Netanyahu Asserts Israel’s Sovereignty and Red Lines
“Israel is an independent state. We will defend ourselves by our own means and we will continue to determine our fate,” Netanyahu said. “We do not seek anyone’s approval for this. We control our security.”
The Prime Minister’s comments were made during a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, emphasising Israel’s right to veto certain participants in the international stabilisation force. Israel opposes any role for its regional rival Turkey, and Netanyahu, under fire from hardliners in his coalition for agreeing to the ceasefire, took a stern line. “We made clear with respect to international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us,” he said, one day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded a visit to promote the truce.
Government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian reinforced this, stating: “The prime minister has said it’s going to be done the easy way or the hard way, and Israel will have overall security control of the Gaza Strip. Gaza will be demilitarised and Hamas will have no part in governing the Palestinian people.”
This position highlights Israel’s determination to retain operational freedom, even as the truce calls for a phased withdrawal and international oversight.
Egyptian Convoy Aids Hostage Recovery Efforts
AFP footage showed an Egyptian convoy in Gaza bringing rescuers and heavy machinery to speed up the search for the remains of deceased Israeli hostages Hamas says are lost in the rubble of the devastated Palestinian territory. Low-loader lorries flying the Egyptian flag transported bulldozers and mechanical diggers into Gaza, accompanied by tipper trucks sounding their horns and flashing their lights, en route to an Egyptian aid committee based in Al-Zawayda.
Israel government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said Netanyahu had personally approved the arrival of the Egyptian team. “Now, this is a technical team only, and none of these personnel are in the military,” she said. “The team are allowed entry beyond the IDF’s (Israel Defense Forces’) Yellow Line position into Gaza territory to conduct the search for our hostages.”
Hamas has insisted it is serious about returning the remaining 13 hostage bodies, which include 10 Israelis kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 attack, one Israeli missing since 2014, a Thai, and a Tanzanian worker. Hamas has already returned the remaining 20 living hostages and 15 bodies of hostages. However, it warns it will struggle to find the others in the ruins, where over 68,500 Palestinians have been killed, according to UN-deemed reliable figures from Gaza’s health ministry. Bedrosian dismissed this, saying: “Hamas knows where our hostages are,” and urging more effort to retrieve them.
Ceasefire Violations and Strikes Raise Concerns
Under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces are to withdraw after two years of fighting, with an international force securing Gaza. Israel has withdrawn to the “Yellow Line” but controls over half the territory, approves UN aid convoys, and has conducted at least two strikes since the truce began.
To underline its independence, Netanyahu noted Israel pummelled Gaza with 150 tonnes of munitions on October 19 after two soldiers were killed, and struck an Islamic Jihad militant on Saturday. The latest strike occurred as Rubio left Jerusalem, but he remained optimistic, saying the ceasefire would hold if Hamas disarms and hands over governance.
Gaza’s media office accused Israel of 47 violations since early October, killing 38 Palestinians and wounding 143. On October 19, Israeli strikes killed at least 44 Palestinians, with both sides trading blame. The Israeli military called a Hamas attack a “blatant violation,” responding with widespread strikes.
Humanitarian Crisis Continues Amid Aid Complaints
Aid agencies complain that humanitarian convoys still do not have enough access to Gaza to alleviate famine conditions, and families remain hungry. AFP journalists followed the family of 62-year-old grandmother Hiam Muqdad in Gaza City, living in a tent next to their ruined home, where barefoot grandchildren gather waste and twigs for fuel.
“When they said there was a truce, oh my God, a tear of joy and a tear of sadness fell from my eye,” Muqdad told AFP. “The child’s dream is gone. In the past they used to go to the park but today children play on the rubble.”
Israel temporarily halted aid after alleged violations but resumed on October 20. The UN says Israel has never allowed 600 aid trucks in a single day, despite pledges.
Hamas Resists Disarmament as Factions Form Governance Committee
The main Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed to form a committee of technocrats to administer Gaza alongside the ceasefire and reconstruction. But Hamas resists immediate disarmament, launching a crackdown on rival groups.
In a statement, Hamas’s lead negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya said the group’s weapons are “linked to the presence of the occupation and aggression.” He added: “If the occupation ends, these weapons will be transferred to the state.”
US and International Efforts to Sustain the Truce
The United States and allies have set up the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in southern Israel to monitor the truce, dispatching top officials from Trump’s administration. Rubio expressed optimism, stating Washington does not expect the Yellow Line to become permanent and that Israel will pull back further. “I think, ultimately, the point of the stabilisation force is to move that line until it covers hopefully all of Gaza, meaning all of Gaza will be demilitarised,” he said.
US Vice President JD Vance, during his visit, insisted the truce is “durable” and repeated Trump’s threat to “obliterate” Hamas if it fails to comply. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in the region, with Vance possibly joining.
Despite early strains, both sides reaffirm commitment, but with over 80 alleged violations reported by Gaza authorities, the path to lasting peace remains uncertain.
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