British troops have been sent to Israel to help monitor a fragile ceasefire in Gaza after a request from the US.

A senior commander and a small team of military personnel will be based in the region, with Britain taking an "anchor role" in a multinational force, Defence Secretary John Healey said. The commander will serve as deputy in the American-led Civil Military Coordination Centre in Israel , with troops from Qatar , Egypt, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates also expected to join, according to US officials.

It comes just 10 days after Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK had "no plans" to deploy soldiers as part of the force.

Speaking at an event in London on Monday, Mr Healey said: "We can contribute to monitoring the ceasefire, but that's likely to be led by others.

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