Italian opposition parties support government plan to deploy troops in Gaza

ISTANBUL

Italian opposition parties including the center-left Democratic Party (PD) and the left-wing 5-Star Movement (M5S) voiced their support for the government's plan to deploy troops in Gaza at a meeting in Rome on Wednesday, ANSA news agency reported.

The PD voiced readiness to support the reconstruction mission while criticizing the government for being "invisible during the destruction."

"Italy could now play a role in Gaza: we have professionals who are consistently recognized around the world, with a capacity for dialogue and the extraordinary ability to build a peace process with the local populations," said M5S leader Giuseppe Conte.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said they are ready to send soldiers to Gaza as part of the International Stabilization Force.

Tajani also underscored that the goal is to identify "the most urgent and feasible interventions in the short term," while pointing to an "initial aid package worth 60 million euros ( $70 million)."

"We can send the Carabinieri (national gendarmerie), we can send army troops. We have Carabinieri who are already in Palestine, so they know the territory. If this request comes, we are ready to do our part to build peace, to build the Palestinian state of the future. We are ready and have been on the front lines for some time now providing humanitarian aid," Tajani had said last week.

A ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas last week, based on a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. Phase one included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

The 20-point plan says the US will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) to “train and provide support” to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza.