Israeli cabinet approves legal terms for Gaza multinational force

Israel's security cabinet on Sunday approved the legal basis to admit a multinational security force into Gaza, an unnamed Israeli official said. The force is tied to a ceasefire plan outlined by US President Donald Trump.

Known as the International Stabilization Force, the mission would involve 200 personnel from "friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco," the official stated. They would deploy only in areas outside Israeli control, and every national contingent must receive individual Israeli approval before entering.

No date was given for the deployment. The official added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due in Washington on Monday and may meet Trump on Tuesday.

The wider Trump plan, unveiled after a ceasefire was reached in October, envisions humanitarian aid, governance by Palestinian technocrats, Hamas disarming, and an Israeli pullback. But it remains stalled; a civilian administration committee has stayed outside Gaza, Hamas refuses to lay down arms, and Israel reports controlling about 64 percent of the enclave while threatening to expand to 70 percent amid daily strikes.

In separate violence, Palestinian officials reported that Israeli settlers torched two mosques and sprayed Hebrew graffiti on buildings in West Bank villages early Sunday. Abdel Azim Wadi, head of the Qusra village council, said a newly completed mosque was burned and defaced with phrases like "Jewish revenge" and the name of an Israeli killed near Tal on Friday.

That incident, southwest of Nablus, left four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead after armed settlers approached the village. Palestinian authorities said settlers provoked the clash; the Israeli military stated both sides fired shots. The Palestinian Authority called the mosque attacks part of a broader assault on Palestinians.