No plans for British troops to be on the ground in Gaza, says Foreign Secretary

There will be no British troops on the ground in Gaza to help police the ceasefire agreement, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Yvette Cooper has continued to defend the UK’s role in the peace process, following Israel and Hamas’s agreement.

The pause in the two-year war came after Hamas agreed to release the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Asked on BBC Breakfast on Friday whether there will be British troops in Gaza, Ms Cooper said: “That’s not our plan, there’s no plans to do that.

“But there is an immediate proposal for the US to lead what is effectively like a monitoring process to make sure that this happens on the ground, to oversee the process with hostage release, and also making sure that this first stage is implemented, getting the aid in place, but they have also made very clear that they expect the troops on the ground to be provided by neighbouring states, and that is something that we do expect to happen.”

Ms Cooper, who is meeting foreign ministers in Paris, said discussions for an “international security force” are taking place and the UK will continue to contribute in other ways, including looking at ways of getting private finance into Gaza.

She told Today the ceasefire agreement must be “the beginning of the end of the war” and deliver a lasting peace for the region.

The Foreign Secretary insisted the UK has “already contributed” to get to this point in the peace process, including by putting forward proposals as part of a framework for peace and through the recognition of the state of Palestine.

She said: “I think there has been a process through the summer of countries across the world coming together in different ways and all playing different roles in this process.”

Ms Cooper also paid tribute to Donald Trump’s role in the peace process, but repeatedly dodged questions on whether the US president should have been given the Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the round-table in Paris, flanked by the French and Saudi foreign ministers Jean-Noel Barrot and Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud.

Ms Cooper travelled to the meeting with her German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, after they met at Hillsborough Castle near Belfast.

Responding to an allegation that the UK had been “not even players” in the process, Labour MP Emily Thornberry, chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told Sky News on Thursday that Mr Trump “has had sensible friends”, such as Sir Keir.

She said: “Donald Trump’s attitude to the Middle East has markedly changed over the last few months, because he has had sensible friends.”

News of the ceasefire agreement came just two days after the second anniversary of October 7, the attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.

Nearly 1,200 people were killed during the incursion, and about 250 people were taken as hostages into Gaza.

Speaking on LBC, Ms Cooper said there were discussions about the ceasefire coming in within 24 hours of the agreement by the Israeli cabinet and the return of hostages within 72 hours, but the UK Government hopes this will happen sooner.