Italy says it stands ready to train police in Gaza

AL-Monitor
Feb 16, 2026
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the media after visiting Gemelli hospital with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin (not pictured), in Rome, Italy, September 1, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the media after visiting Gemelli hospital with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin (not pictured), in Rome, Italy, September 1, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane — Guglielmo Mangiapane

ROME, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Italy stands ready to help train police forces in Gaza and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, its foreign minister said on Monday, as Rome aims to play a role in stabilizing the Middle East.

"We are ready to train a new Gaza police force, and we are also ready to train a Palestinian police force," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a news conference in Rome.

He confirmed that Rome was ready to participate as an observer in U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace initiative, and Italy had been invited to attend a meeting of the group this week in Washington.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones)