The US forces, all from US Central Command (CENTCOM), will set up the civil-military command center as the ceasefire unfolds, a senior US official said.
Some of the service members are from the US and some were already in the region. Most are in the military.
They are experts in the field of logistics, safety, technology and transport.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES ISRAEL AGREES TO ‘FIRST LINE OF WITHDRAWAL’ FROM GAZA AS ‘3,000 YEARS OF CATASTROPH’ IS NEVER END
Israeli soldiers stand near their tanks along the Israel-Gaza border, seen from southern Israel on Friday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
None of the troops will enter Gaza.
Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, attended talks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and former White House adviser and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a U.S. official confirmed.
Cooper then flew to Israel and is currently in the country.
The Israeli government approved and signed the first phase of the Trump-brokered ceasefire agreement in Gaza on Thursday night, starting a 24-hour countdown clock for troops to withdraw to a predetermined position.
Israeli soldiers along the Israel-Gaza border Friday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
“Following the instructions of the political echelon and as a result of the situation assessment, the IDF has begun operational preparations prior to the implementation of the agreement. As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to soon transition to adjusted lines of deployment. The IDF continues to be deployed in the area and is prepared for any operational development,” the IDF wrote on X.
Hours later, the IDF confirmed that the ceasefire had begun and that operations were positioned “along the updated lines of engagement.”
Witkoff said Friday morning that CENTCOM confirmed that the IDF had completed the first phase of its withdrawal from Gaza, allowing the ceasefire to come into effect at noon local time, and that Hamas’ 72-hour period to release the hostages had begun.
THE WHITE HOUSE MOVES TO EXPAND THE ABRAHAM AGREEMENTS AFTER THE STABING OF ISRAEL AND HAMAS
Israeli soldiers approach the Israel-Gaza border, seen from southern Israel on Thursday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Witkoff reportedly told mediators that he could have a command center in place to monitor the ceasefire within two and a half weeks.
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CENTCOM’s role in monitoring the ceasefire with Qatar and Turkey was a major reassurance for the negotiating parties, according to those involved in the talks.
