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Israeli state television KAN reported on Tuesday that significant disagreements between the United States, Israel, and Egypt over the implementation of the second phase of Trump's Gaza war-ending plan, following talks between Israeli officials and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Hassan Rashad.
The disagreements emerged during Rashad's visit to Israel on Monday, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Shin Bet Director David Zini, and other security officials.
The central point of contention involves the timing and deployment of international Arab military forces to Gaza.
According to Israeli media reports, a major source of disagreement centers on Trump's plan priorities. The U.S. plan prioritizes the return of deceased Israeli soldiers' bodies before other actions, but the U.S., Egypt, and Israel hold conflicting views on when to deploy foreign military forces.
The U.S. is interested in moving quickly to phase two of the ceasefire agreement. Egypt wants to deploy foreign forces to Gaza within days as part of phase two. Israel, however, opposes foreign troop deployment at this stage, arguing that Hamas is intentionally delaying the return of hostages' bodies and that dead soldiers must be returned before any foreign forces enter Gaza.
Israeli security officials told Egyptian Intelligence Chief Rashad that Hamas is deliberately stalling and that Israeli hostages' bodies must be returned before foreign forces are deployed.
A list of countries willing to send military forces to Gaza to protect the ceasefire has begun to form. The identified countries include Egypt, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, and Türkiye.
Israel objects to Turkish military presence in Gaza, according to the reports. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Morocco have not yet determined their positions on sending troops to Gaza. The international forces are intended to serve as stabilization and ceasefire protection mechanisms following the agreement that took effect on October 10.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, visiting Israel for three days of talks on the ceasefire, declined to set a deadline for Hamas to disarm, saying the situation remains "unpredictable."
"We know that Hamas has to comply with the ceasefire deal," Vance told reporters. He refused to provide a timeline for Hamas disarmament, stating: "I'm not going to do what the president of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult. A lot of this stuff is unpredictable."
Vance noted that "very bad things" will happen if Hamas does not comply with Trump's ceasefire agreement but said "I don't think it's actually advisable for us to say this has to be done in a week, because a lot of this work is very hard."
Vance emphasized there will be no "American boots on the ground in Gaza" while praising Türkiye's role in the peace process. He stated Israel must agree to any foreign troop presence and that the U.S. role involves coordinating Gulf states, Israel, Türkiye, and Indonesia "to work together in a way that actually produces long-term peace."
Regarding potential Turkish troops in Gaza, Vance said the U.S. will not "force anything" on Israel, "but we do think that there's a constructive role for the Turks to play."
Israel announced it received the bodies of two Israeli hostages held in Gaza through International Committee of the Red Cross officials. Netanyahu's office said the bodies were transferred to Israeli army and Shin Bet officials.
The bodies will be transported from Gaza to Israel for military ceremonies with military rabbi participation. Following forensic identification, families will be notified.
Israel launched deadly airstrikes across Gaza on Sunday in violation of the ceasefire, killing at least 44 Palestinians after alleging Hamas attacked its troops in southern Rafah. The Palestinian group denied involvement and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire.
Since October 2023, Israel's war has killed more than 68,200 people and injured over 170,300, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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