Rome: Italy is ready to contribute peacekeepers to a possible UN-led mission in the Gaza Strip during a transition period in the Palestinian enclave, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday.

“Over 1,000 Italian soldiers are in Lebanon with a UN-led mission. If there is a need for a peacekeeping mission during the interim period in Gaza, we are ready to send our soldiers to the UN as peacekeepers. We have not received any requests from the United States regarding the Lebanon mission,” Tajani said on Radio24.

On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and some 240 others were abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 24,600 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.