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An official from the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will be sent to Israel as part of a US-led mission to support stabilisation efforts in Gaza, the defence department has confirmed.
The ADF officer will be based at the Civil Military Coordination Centre to contribute to planning and coordination, along with officials from other nations.
A small contingent from the United Kingdom is already in Israel following the same request for assistance, and US officials have said they are also speaking to Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Azerbaijan to contribute.
In a statement by the defence department seen by SBS, Australia will contribute a liaison officer, which is ” in line with our commitment to support international efforts towards a just and enduring peace.”
“Australia is committed to playing a constructive role within the international community,” the statement declares.
The statement added that while Australia’s strategic priority remains the Indo-Pacific region, the government will always carefully consider opportunities to contribute to international peace and security.
The US has agreed to provide up to 200 troops to support the force without being deployed in Gaza itself.
The task force is designed to support the early stages of the truce between Israel and Hamas and to push forward US President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan.
With a fragile ceasefire in place for 12 days, focus has switched to the second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan.
This requires Hamas to disarm and foresees the establishment of an internationally-supervised Palestinian committee to run Gaza with an international force supporting vetted Palestinian police.
Hamas has resisted pressure to disarm, saying that it is ready to hand its weapons to a future Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have killed at least 88 Palestinians, among them civilians, since the ceasefire began, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, and two Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian militants in southern Gaza over the weekend.
Additional reporting by the Reuters News Agency.
