200 U.S. Troops Sent to Israel to Help Oversee Gaza Ceasefire as Trump-Brokered Deal Takes Effect
Roughly 200 U.S. troops are being deployed to Israel to help oversee the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, marking the latest step in President Trump’s push for long-term peace in the region.
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. troops will not enter Gaza. Instead, they will operate from a newly formed “civil-military coordination center” established by U.S. Central Command. The center will work alongside international partners and humanitarian organizations to monitor the unfolding ceasefire and facilitate coordination on the ground.
The Israeli Security Council approved the first phase of the peace proposal on Thursday after multiple rounds of negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The ceasefire includes the return of both living and deceased hostages held by Hamas, as well as a phased pullback of Israeli troops from parts of Gaza.
Diplomats from several nations converged on the Egyptian resort city to broker the agreement, including U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Trump adviser Jared Kushner. Following the Security Council vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally thanked both men — and Trump — for their roles in brokering the deal.
“We fought during these two years to achieve our war aims, and a central one of these war aims is to return the hostages – all of the hostages, the living and the dead – and we’re about to achieve that goal,” Netanyahu stated. “We couldn’t have achieved it without the extraordinary help of President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.”
Netanyahu also praised the Israeli military for its role in pressuring Hamas and creating the conditions necessary for negotiations. He called the IDF a key part of the “combined military and diplomatic pressure” that helped isolate the terror group and force them to the negotiating table.
The current ceasefire plan is based on a U.S.-backed framework unveiled by Trump and Netanyahu at a joint press conference last month. At that time, Trump characterized the initiative as a potential foundation for “eternal peace in the Middle East,” emphasizing the importance of both strength and diplomacy in achieving lasting stability.
The announcement of the troop deployment and coordination center is intended to provide logistical support and ensure compliance with the terms of the deal — particularly the release of hostages and the management of humanitarian aid.
The agreement has drawn rare praise from across the Middle East. Following Trump’s peace proposal last month, a coalition of Arab countries — including Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Turkey, and Indonesia — released a joint statement applauding Trump’s leadership.
The nations endorsed “Trump’s leadership and his sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza,” and said they were confident in his “ability to find a path to peace.”
The ceasefire is expected to go into full effect early next week with the release of all remaining hostages. Both Israeli and U.S. officials have signaled that additional diplomatic work remains to be done, but have hailed this moment as a significant breakthrough in a brutal conflict that has lasted nearly two years.