Top US diplomat Marco Rubio voiced hope Friday of soon putting together an international force to police the ceasefire in Gaza, as Palestinian factions agreed that a committee of independent technocrats would run the post-war territory.

The secretary of state visited Israel on the heels of Vice President JD Vance as part of an all-out effort by the United States to persuade both Hamas and Israel to respect the truce.

Rubio said it was critical for the deal to create "the conditions for the stabilisation force to come in as soon as it possibly can be put together".

MADRID (Reuters) -Spain's High Court is investigating privately-owned steelmaker Sidenor for allegedly selling steel to an Israeli firm for the purpose of making weapons, it said on Friday, in one of the first potential legal consequences of Spain's ban on such deals.

Judge Francisco de Jorge is leading the investigation targeting Sidenor's CEO Jose Antonio Jainaga Gomez and two other executives for alleged smuggling and complicity in crimes against humanity or genocide, according to the statement.

They were summoned to testify on November 12.

After two years of war, Gaza is buried under more than 61 million tonnes of debris and three quarters of buildings have been destroyed, according to UN data analysed by AFP.

The fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on October 10 under pressure from US President Donald Trump, opens the way for the reconstruction of the devastated territory.

This will require managing the immense amount of rubble.

- 170 Empire State Buildings -

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -At least 14 people drowned when a rubber boat carrying migrants sank off Turkey's western province of Mugla on Friday, the local governor's office said, adding that a search and rescue operation was underway for possible survivors.

In a statement, the Mugla Governor's Office said an Afghan man who survived the disaster and swam back to the mainland had raised the alarm shortly after 1:00 a.m.

They were freed in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza, but instead of going home, 154 Palestinian ex-prisoners were exiled to Egypt, where they are confined to a hotel and kept under tight surveillance.

All of them had been sentenced by Israeli military court to life in prison on charges of murder, belonging to Palestinian militant groups banned by Israel, and other acts of violence.

By Andrew MacAskill, Alexander Cornwell and Maayan Lubell

KIRYAT GAT, Israel (Reuters) -In a squat, grey building that normally operates as a cargo hub in an industrial area of southern Israel, U.S. troops have begun the complex task of monitoring Gaza's fragile ceasefire and planning an international force to stabilise the enclave.

The U.S. military announced this week that about 200 troops with expertise in transport, planning, security and engineering had started monitoring the ceasefire and would organise the flow of aid and security assistance to Gaza.

SOUTHERN ISRAEL (Reuters) -An international security force to be put in place in Gaza under a ceasefire agreement will have to be made up of countries that Israel is "comfortable with", U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday during a visit to Israel.

Rubio added that the future of governance in Gaza still needs to be worked out among Israel and partner nations but could not include Hamas, adding that any potential role for the Palestinian Authority has yet to be determined.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis; writing by Susan Heavey; editing by Mark Heinrich)

By Pesha Magid

TURMUS AYYA, West Bank (Reuters) -Afaf Abu Alia had woken early on October 19 to join her grandchildren picking olives near the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, when she heard a woman scream "settlers".

Masked men burst out of the trees, one of whom hit 55-year-old Abu Alia on the head with a club, according to her account and a video verified by Reuters showing the attack.

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the United States and others must do more to push Israel to stop violating the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the possible use of sanctions or halting arms sales.

According to an official readout of his remarks to reporters aboard a return flight from Oman, Erdogan said the Palestinian militant group Hamas was abiding by the agreement. He added that Turkey remains ready to support the planned Gaza task force in any way needed.

ANKARA (Reuters) -A Turkish court is expected to announce a verdict on Friday that could lead to the removal of the main opposition party leader Ozgur Ozel, in a case seen as a test of the country's shaky balance between democracy and autocracy.

If the court annuls the outcome of proceedings in a 2023 annual congress of the Republican People's Party (CHP), that would mean the ouster of Ozel, 51, its combative leader.