By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - The Italian foreign minister on Thursday welcomed the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas on the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal, calling it "great news."
"Great news is coming from the Middle East: peace is near," Antonio Tajani said through the US social media company X.
Reiterating that Rome has always supported the US plan, he noted that Italy is ready to do its part to consolidate the ceasefire, deliver new humanitarian aid, and to participate in the reconstruction of Gaza.
Italy is also ready to send troops in case of a creation of an international peacekeeping force to reunify Palestine, he added.
Tajani's remarks came after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed off on the first phase of a US-proposed Gaza deal.
The 20-point plan, first announced on Sept. 29, includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas, and the rebuilding of Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children.
The relentless bombardment has left Gaza largely uninhabitable, leading to widespread starvation and disease.