The flagging peace plan for Gaza took a step forward on Sunday, as Israel granted permission for peacekeeping troops to operate in areas outside Israeli control.
Nickolay Mladenov, the leading envoy for the Board of Peace, set up by US President Donald Trump to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, welcomed the move to allow the International Stabilisation Force in the territory.
The force, to consist of troops from several countries including Morocco and Indonesia, would be instructed to secure Gaza's borders and train local police. Under Mr Trump's peace plan, Israel should withdraw its forces as the peacekeepers establish control.
The force “is a critical part of the agreed framework for stabilising Gaza, supporting demilitarisation and enabling the transition to effective Palestinian transitional administration,” Mr Mladenov said.
“The focus now is on ensuring that we move forward with the 20-point plan for Gaza." The approval was given by Israel's security cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Trump's 20-point plan ostensibly brought about a ceasefire last October that halted the worst of the two-year hostilities, during which Israeli border closures had inflicted a famine on Gaza. Hunger experts last week said the food situation remains fragile despite modest improvements.
Although initial steps were fulfilled to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, the process has stalled since with attention shifting to the Iran war.
Israel controls more than half of Gaza's territory and has been steadily expanding the occupied area behind what is known as the "yellow line". It also continues to carry out regular air strikes in Gaza, typically saying it is aiming at terrorists or people threatening Israeli soldiers.
