Defence secretary says UK will play ‘anchor role’ in US-led civil military coordination centre
British troops have been sent to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza after a request from the US.
The defence secretary, John Healey, announced the deployment of a small number of planning officers, including a senior commander, at an event on Monday night. He said the UK would play an “anchor role”. Ten days ago the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the UK had “no plans” to send soldiers to Gaza.
The commander will work as a deputy in the American-led civil military coordination centre in Israel. It is also expected to include troops from Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Healey told business leaders: “We can contribute to monitoring the ceasefire, but that’s likely to be led by others.
