Moroccan contingent arrives in Israel to join international Gaza force

<p> JERUSALEM: Officers from the Moroccan military, whose deployment was announced in February, have arrived in Israel to join a nascent international force for Gaza, US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace said Tuesday.<br /> An official from the board separately told AFP on condition of anonymity that the contingent arrived on June 18 at the headquarters of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in southern Israel.<br /> The contingent is expected to contribute to the development of the force’s overall structure and provide expertise in several areas, including policing, the official said.<br /> He confirmed the presence of four Moroccan officers but did not specify whether the contingent included additional personnel.<br /> “Their arrival strengthens the international effort to support the people of Gaza,” the Board of Peace said on X.<br /> In February, Morocco committed to deploying police officers and military personnel to the Gaza Strip, becoming the first Arab country to do so publicly.<br /> In mid-January, Washington announced the launch of the second phase of Trump’s plan for Gaza aimed at bringing a definitive end to the war triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.<br /> In practice, however, little tangible progress has been achieved.<br /> The Trump plan, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, led to the establishment of a ceasefire that took effect in October.<br /> Its second phase provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of the ISF, a project that has been the subject of repeated announcements and discussions but has yet to materialize.<br /> In late February, Hamas said it was open to the presence of such a force in the Gaza Strip, provided it did not interfere in the territory’s internal affairs.<br /> Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.<br /> Israel now says it controls at least 70 percent of the Gaza Strip, compared with just over half following its pullback on the first day of the truce.<br /> Israel and Hamas accuse each other almost daily of violating the ceasefire amid stalled efforts toward a lasting end to the war.<br /> At least 1,027 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, according to the Hamas?run health ministry in Gaza, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.<br /> The Israeli military says it has lost five of its soldiers during the same period.<br /> &nbsp;</p> <p> &nbsp;</p>