Overview
- At a cabinet meeting on Oct. 26, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel acts at its own discretion on security matters and does not seek approval for strikes, citing recent attacks in Lebanon and Gaza.
- Netanyahu said Israel will decide which international contingents are unacceptable for any Gaza deployment envisioned under the cease-fire framework.
- He pointed to a recent response in Gaza, saying Israel dropped 150 tons of munitions after an attack on two soldiers, and described Israel–U.S. ties as a partnership between independent states.
- Netanyahu said U.S. leaders accept Israel’s stance, while reporting by Haaretz and the New York Times describes Washington monitoring Gaza with drones and expecting advance notice of exceptional IDF strikes, without a formal U.S. veto.
- The composition and role of a proposed multinational force for Gaza remain unresolved, even as senior U.S. officials have visited Israel to help implement the initial phase of the cease-fire.