The US will deploy 200 troops to Israel to lead a multinational force monitoring the Gaza ceasefire.
Up to 200 US troops stationed in the Middle East will be redeployed to Israel to help monitor the Gaza ceasefire, US officials said on Friday. The personnel will form part of a multinational taskforce establishing a civil-military coordination centre aimed at overseeing the truce and facilitating humanitarian aid.
According to one senior official, no American troops will enter Gaza. Instead, the US will create a Joint Control Center to “integrate” a multinational force that could include Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE. The taskforce will report to both Israel and Hamas, through Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries, on any ceasefire violations.
The operation will be led by Adm Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (Centcom), who joined recent indirect peace talks in Egypt. The move follows President Donald Trump’s announcement that Israel and Hamas had “signed off on the first phase” of his proposed peace plan.