A Palestinian official said all members of the force will be from the Gaza Strip and paid by the Palestinian Authority, which is based in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian fighters have returned 25 bodies of hostages under the ceasefire deal that went into effect on Oct. 10. The remaining hostages are two Israelis and a man from Thailand. In return, Israel has released the bodies of 330 Palestinians to Gaza. Most remain unidentified.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame for what both call violations of the U.S.-brokered truce, the first stage of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for a post-war Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV said Sunday that he discussed both the Gaza war and the conflict in Ukraine directly with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying that the two leaders found common ground on key points and that Ankara could play a significant role in new peace efforts.

There are now believed to be four deceased hostages still inside Gaza following Sunday's return of the body of Hadar Goldin, an Israeli soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza war. Israeli authorities, meanwhile, are releasing the bodies of Palestinians in exchange for the return of hostage remains.

Do you really think, Mr. Netanyahu, that you can rename wars, hand out medals, tell tales of your heroism - and still avoid investigating the greatest national failure in Israel’s history?”

The United Nations Security Council voted Monday evening to approve President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, a major diplomatic victory providing an international mandate to rebuild the Gaza Strip following two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

President Donald Trump's approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war mirrors his tactics in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Tens of thousands of people have marched in cities across Europe, denouncing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and demanding tougher global action against its continued and deadly violations of a United States-brokered ceasefire.