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Britain is playing a key role behind the scenes in the Gaza peace plan, but has no plans to put British troops on the ground, a senior minister has said.
Bridget Phillipsonsaid the education secretary Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that Sir Keir Starmer’s presence at the ceasefire agreement signing ceremony in Egypt on Monday “shows the key role we have played”.
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He did not explain exactly what Britain’s role would be ceasefiremost of which are associated with Donald Trump, are or have occurred.
But he added: “We have played a key role behind the scenes in making this happen.
“It is right that we do this because it is in the interests of all of us, including our own national interests, that we move towards lasting peace in the region.
“This is a complicated diplomatic issue and we are involved in it. But we welcome and recognize the important role the American government has played in getting us to this point.”
Number 10 said on Saturday that Sir Keir would attend a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, where a peace plan would be signed. He will pay a “special tribute” to Trump.
The US and Israel say Britain and other countries, such as France, recognizing Palestine as a state in September are hampering peace efforts.
However, Ms Phillipson stood by the decision, saying it was “the right thing to do”.
On whether Britain was prepared to deploy British troops to the region as part of a stabilization force after the ceasefire, he said: “We have no plans to do that.”
The US military will help establish a multinational force in Israel, known as a civil-military coordination center, which will likely include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE.
On Friday, US officials said up to 200 US troops already based in the Middle East would be moved to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza.
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A day earlier, President Trump announced Israel and Hamas had “signed the first phase” of the peace plan he announced last week.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been walking back to Gaza City, which was largely destroyed, from southern Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on Friday.
Aid trucks have gathered in Egypt to cross into Gaza after months of warnings from aid groups about famine in parts of the territory.
In Israel, the remaining hostages will be repatriated from Gaza by Hamas on Monday under the first phase of the peace plan. Twenty people are believed to be alive, 26 people are declared dead, and the fate of two people is unknown.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have marched back to Khan Younis in southern Gaza. photo: AP
The ceasefire agreement was made two years after Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which is considered credible by the UN.
