Australian news and politics live: Netanyahu, Israeli ministers sign off on Trump’s Gaza peace deal

The United States is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza as part of a team that includes partner nations, non-governmental organisations and private sector players, US officials say.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorised for release, said US Central Command is going to establish a “civil-military co-ordination centre” in Israel that will help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into the territory wracked by two years of war.

The US soldiers will be the core of a task force that would include representatives from Egypt’s military, Qatar, Turkey and probably the United Arab Emirates.

The remarks provide some of the first details on how the ceasefire deal would be monitored and how the US military would have a role in that effort.

Read more.

Australia’s Foreign Minister says Donald Trump’s language was a crucial factor in delivering a signed peace agreement in Gaza.

When asked about Trump being quoted as telling Benjamain Netanyahu, “you can’t fight the world BB”, Ms Wong said she sees that statement as being part of the “world’s momentum towards peace”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the ‘breakthrough’ as the Israeli Government approves a Gaza peace plan, which will allow the release of Israeli hostages.

When asked if there was a request for Australian troops to be sent to the Middle East after the US committed to sending 200 troops to Israel, Mr Albanese said:

“We’ll continue to work with allies on these issues. I very much welcome this breakthrough. We have called for some time for a cease-fire, for the release of hostages, for aid to be granted, that needs to happen,” he said.

“We also need to talk about the day after which requires a two-state solution.”

He also said US President Donald Trump deserves congratulations on his leadership on the UK-brokered deal.

“I think President Trump deserves congratulations for the leadership that the United States have shown. We’ve always said this will require US leadership and that is what we have seen.”

When asked again if Australia has been asked to send troops Mr Albanese dodged the question.

Penny Wong has appeared on Sky News and agreed when asked if Donald Trump was the only world leader that could have got Benjamin Natanyahu to agree to the peace deal in Gaza.

“I think that’s probably true,” the Foreign Minister said.

“We needed US engagement. There are other parts to building the pathway to peace but President Trump has got this over the line and it is an extaordinary achievement.”

Israel’s approval of the first phase of Trump’s Gaza plan has triggered an immediate ceasefire, according to two Israeli officials who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity.

However, it remains unclear whether the Israeli Prime Minister’s office has directed the Israel Defense Forces to halt operations.

Independents Kate Chaney, Allegra Spender, Sophie Scamps and Monique Ryan have all been granted one more extra staffer than last term after Anthony Albaneses’s parliamentary staffing review.

Each of those members now have two staffers each – but Dai Le and newcomer Nicolette Boele have the same allocation of one adviser.

A special deal for Jacqui Lambie that gave her an extra adviser for the duration of the Defence suicide royal commission appears to have been set in stone now.

Fatima Payman continues to have only her electorate staff, with no additional positions funded.

The full extent of Anthony Albanese’s cuts to his opponents’ staffing levels has been revealed with new figures bearing out the Coalition’s complaint about the PM gutting their senior adviser levels.

Coalition MPs have previously labelled the PM’s cuts “vindictive”.

Before the election, the shadow ministry was allocated 106 staffers (on top of the electorate officers that every parliamentarian can hire), with 54 per cent of these in senior roles.

After their routing in May, Mr Albanese decided to give them a total of 88 staffers – despite there being the same number of shadow ministers – with less than half of them senior roles.

The total staffing allocation was cut by 23 per cent.

The Government has argued that it also trimmed ministerial adviser numbers, but the figures show its ranks only dropped by 2 per cent.

It has slightly fewer people in senior roles, although they still make up more than half the total number of staffers, and the number of junior advisers increased from pre-election levels.

A staffer has been suspended and police are making inquiries after shocking footage emerged of Jewish students being verbally abused on the grounds of one of Sydney’s biggest universities.

In the video – obtained exclusively by Sky News Australia – a woman can be heard asking several students at the University of Sydney if they were “Zionists”, before raising her voice as the group urges her to move on.

The outlet reports the students were celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which runs until next Monday.

“A Zionist is the lowest form of rubbish … Zionists are the most disgusting thing that has ever walked this earth,” the woman says in the clip.

Read the full story here.

Australians detained by Israel for trying to sail aid into Gaza have vowed to do it again, despite alleging “dystopian” conditions and human rights abuses while in captivity.

Juliet Lamont, Hamish Paterson and Abubakir Rafiq received a hero’s welcome after arriving back home to Sydney on Friday morning, after more than a month at sea with the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Fellow Australian Bianca Webb-Pullman arrived back in Melbourne, still clad in her grey prison tracksuit, and rushed into the arms of her mother and her partner.

The quartet’s ships were intercepted off the Gazan coast and the group were detained in Israel, where some allege they were assaulted and threatened, then deported to Jordan.

​Read the full story here.​

Greens Senator David Shoebridge has clashed with Foreign Minister Penny Wong during a senate estimates hearing, after he accused the Albanese Government of not doing enough to prevent genocide in Gaza.

Senator Wong hit back at Senator Shoebridge, saying the Greens should reflect “on the lies and misinformation” spread by the minor party since the conflict began two years go.

The Foreign Minister also took aim at Greens Leader Larissa Waters for recent comments made about the Manchester synagogue attack, prompting Senator Shoebridge to accuse the Labor frontbencher of making a “gross mischaracterisation”.

Earlier the Foreign Minister congratulated US President Donald Trump for his role in bringing together the Gaza peace plan, saying his “engagement has been decisive”.