No plans to send UK troops to monitor Gaza ceasefire, says Cooper

There are no plans to send British troops to be part of a multinational force that will monitor Israel's Gaza ceasefire. According to Israel, the first phase of a ceasefire and the freeing of hostages has come into force in Hamas, which has now come into operation. Cooper, who is speaking with foreign ministers in Paris, said the UK will continue to support the peace process in other ways, including by increasing private funds into Gaza.

This is still a fragile process, but it is one that has a lot of momentum behind and a huge pledge to make it work,

she said.

According to US officials, the US is expanding to 200 troops who are already based in the Middle East to Israel to coordinate what it calls a civil-military coordination center in Israel. This is designed to monitor the progress of the ceasefire deal and help coordinate humanitarian assistance. Forces from Arab and Muslim countries, including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, will be sent to monitor the truce and report any abuses. No American forces will enter Gaza, according to US officials. When asked whether UK troops would be involved on BBC Breakfast on Friday, Cooper said: "That's not our scheme; there are no plans to do so.

When asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest remarks in an interview with Euronews, he said Europe had essentially become irrelevant in ceasefire negotiations, and that the decision by countries, including the United Kingdom, to recognize a Palestinian state as a

absolute honor (to) Islamists. Cooper acknowledged that the UK has had differences with Israel on this subject, but that

the point now is that we need countries coming together to make peace a reality and not just make it happen. She maintained that the UK has already contributed to this point in the peace process, including by putting forward plans as part of a framework for stability and the recognition of . A Palestinian state. Cooper said that the UK will be involved in talks with Arab states over how to attract financial investment into Gaza, which has been devastated by two years of Israeli bombardment. According to Israel's Hamas-run health ministry, more than 67,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, were killed in Israel''s military offensive. On October 7, 2023, Israel launched its military offensive in reaction to the Hamas attacks, killing many Israeli civilians and leaving 251 people dead, while 251 were taken hostage.

On Thursday, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reiterated the country's involvement in peace negotiations, saying that the country has played a vital role behind the scenes.The UK is now poised to play our part in implementing this [the peace initiative], as we go forward,

he said at a press conference in Mumbai. Cooper and her German counterpart arrived in Paris on Thursday from Northern Ireland. Both ministers were at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Western Balkans at Hillsborough Castle near Belfast. On Friday, she told the BBC's Today programme that they had held talks about the lessons learned during the implementation of peace processes in their own countries in recent decades.

What we know is that countries can work together to help resolve conflict and rebuild nations," she said, adding that the reflections could have a positive effect in Gaza.