Israeli defense minister points to progress in proposal to send Arab forces in Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant pointed to progress Friday in an Israeli proposal to bring a multi-national Arab force into the Gaza Strip to secure aid convoys, according to the Ynet news website.

Gallant "achieved significant progress" during talks with US officials in Washington to bring the troops from three Arab countries, it said.

He informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Cabinet members about the initiative and intends to continue to advance it, said the website.

There has been no comment on the initiative from the US or Arab countries that are expected to send troops to Gaza.

US news website, Axios, quoted two senior Israeli officials who said Gallant's proposal would help secure aid convoys and the US-planned temporary pier in Gaza.

It noted that Gallant raised the issue with US Secretary of Defense LIoyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

It added that under the initiative, Israel seeks to prevent the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, from having control over Gaza.

Several countries, including the US, have been pressuring Israel to address the growing scale of famine across Gaza.

Israel has launched a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Hamas on Oct. 7.

The offensive has killed more than 32,600 victims and injured over 75,000 amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.