by Agencies and Jacob Magid at The Times of Israel
A US military team of 200 people will be deployed in the Middle East to “oversee” the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after a peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump, senior US officials say.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the US military’s Central Command, “will initially have 200 people on the ground. His role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations,” one senior official tells reporters.
Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish and probably Emirati military officials would be embedded in the team, he says. A second official says that “no US troops are intended to go into Gaza.”
A source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel that the US troops will likely be stationed in Egypt where they will develop a joint control center and integrate other security forces that will work in Gaza to coordinate with Israeli forces to avoid clashes.
More from today’s Liveblog:
- Witkoff: Netanyahu ‘made some very difficult calls, don’t think we get to this place without him’
- Government approves deal to free the hostages, with most ministers voting in favor; ceasefire comes into effect
- Kushner: Release of hostages ‘wouldn’t have been possible without the bravery of the IDF and its soldiers’