US to make BIG move for Gaza ceasefire deal, set to deploy 200 troops for task force in Israel to oversee, monitor…

The United States is sending about 200 soldiers to Israel to “monitor” the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, US media reported. A senior US official told reporters that the task force would “monitor, monitor and make sure there are no violations” of the agreement.

According to the official, members of the Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish armed forces will be part of the US team, Xinhua news agency reported. The troops will remain in Israel, where they will support logistics, transportation, engineering and planning, officials said.

“They will not be in Gaza. There are no US boats in Gaza,” one of the officials said.

Israel and Hamas agreed on Thursday to cease hostilities in Gaza; Donald Trump said the agreement announced on the Truth Social network was the first step towards a “Strong, Durable and Everlasting Peace.” Both sides agreed to a hostage-prisoner exchange that would see the release of about 20 Israeli hostages believed still alive and the remains of others who died.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had previously announced that the Israeli government had approved the historic agreement. This came after a brutal two-year war that sparked a global outcry.

The ceasefire is planned to come into force within the next 24 hours. According to officials, US troops could begin deploying to Israel immediately.

Their duties will include facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and helping manage the de-escalation mechanism and ensuring that both sides comply with the terms of security agreements.

(With inputs from IANS)