British officers sent to Israel to help monitor Gaza ceasefire
A small number of British planning officers have been sent to Israel to join a US-led multinational task force to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza, the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
US officials had previously stated that the task force, called the civil-military coordination center, would likely include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the UAE.
British troops are not entering Gaza and being sent to the war zone as they are now.
There is an Israeli government Approved first phase of Gaza deal with HamasThis led to a ceasefire and the release of hostages and prisoners.
Earlier this month, American officials said nearly 200 US troops were already deployed in the Middle East. He would move to Israel to support the task force.
They said it would be managed by US Central Command (Centcom) in the region and intended to oversee the progress of the ceasefire agreement and also help coordinate humanitarian aid.
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said in a statement that the UK “continues to work with international partners to support the Gaza ceasefire to see where it can best contribute to the peace process.”
Defense Minister John Healey said in his speech at Mansion House on Monday that, at the request of the United States, Britain sent a senior commander to deputize for a US commander tasked with managing the center in Israel.
He said Britain could “contribute to monitoring the ceasefire” but others would take the lead.
“The UK will play a pivotal role, contributing specialist experience and skills as much as we can, but we do not expect to lead the way,” Healey added.
A Ministry of Defense source said the efforts were part of “showing that the UK is playing its part in setting the framework for what happens next”.
It is understood further studies are being discussed to see how the UK could contribute more.
In the first two decades of this century, the UK military gained extensive experience in building the capacity of security forces, first in Iraq and then in Afghanistan; That’s partly why he wanted Centcom’s involvement.
British officials have also been working in the West Bank since 2006 to help train Palestinian police.
Opposed to this is Britain’s historical role in the Middle East. Britain, which was the colonial power of the region known as Palestine for 25 years during the First World War, quickly left with the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
There is still resentment among many Palestinians, who blame Britain and the 1917 Balfour Declaration for what has happened to them since.
The UK deployment follows US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Israel on Tuesday, where he said it was important to enforce the Gaza ceasefire. “going better than expected”.
While Vance also warned that “Hamas will be destroyed unless it cooperates,” he also declined to give a deadline for when the Palestinian group should be disarmed; This is a part of the US proposals that has not yet been agreed upon.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two special U.S. envoys who helped negotiate the ceasefire agreement, joined Vance at a news conference in southern Israel.
One of the points emphasized by US President Donald Trump 20-item Gaza plan It included the United States working with Arab and international partners to develop an interim international stabilization force to be deployed immediately in Gaza.
This point has not yet been agreed between the parties and can only be realized if the hostage and prisoner exchange is completed.
Israel launched a military operation in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attack in which Hamas-led gunmen killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.
At least 68,229 people have been killed in Israeli offensives in Gaza since then, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry.
