JERUSALEM, July 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Youssef have agreed to deploy Palestinian National Authority (PNA) troops in southern Gaza as a buffer during the coming Israeli pullout, local newspaper Ha'aretz reported Sunday.     

    Youssef, who is responsible for the PNA's defense branches,undertook to deploy Palestinian troops as a buffer between the Palestinian residence areas and the Jewish settlements in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.     

    The agreement was reached during a Tel Aviv meeting between Mofaz and Youssef last week, according to the report.

    During the meeting, Mofaz also urged the PNA to help preventPalestinian militant fire on settlements or Israeli troops during the evacuation.     

    Mofaz also warned that if Palestinian militant groups attack Israeli soldiers and settlers during the evacuation, the Israeli troops will react harshly.     

    Israel has already decided to deploy special forces in Gaza, potentially including parts of Khan Younis, in case of militant fire.     

    Meanwhile, Mofaz also called upon the PNA to start training special forces to focus on coordinating the coming Israeli evacuation and the two sides elaborated on the details of the training, which could be supervised by Egyptian officers.

    In addition, the two sides agreed that Israeli and Palestinian forces would be deployed simultaneously during the evacuation of each settlement.     

    Israel plans to evacuate all the 21 Jewish settlements in the  Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank this August, the first time it gives up lands occupied during the 1967 Mideast War.   Enditem