US to deploy 200 troops to Israel for Gaza task force, no operations in Gaza

The United States will deploy up to 200 troops to Israel to establish a task force to support stabilization efforts in Gaza, but no Americans are expected to be deployed into the Palestinian enclave, US officials said on Thursday.

The US military’s Central Command will stand up the task force, known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center, or CMCC, one of the officials said.

The CMCC’s job will be to facilitate the flow of assistance into Gaza, including security assistance and humanitarian aid, officials said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a social media post that the US personnel will be tasked with monitoring the Gaza agreement in Israel and will work with other international forces on the ground.

Two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US troops would be the core of the CMCC, but it would also include representatives from Egypt’s military, Qatar, Turkey and probably the United Arab Emirates.

The officials said the joint control center would coordinate with Israeli forces and other security forces to avoid clashes.

“No US troops are intended to go into Gaza,” said one of the officials.

One of the officials said the American troops being deployed would have expertise in planning, security, logistics and engineering.

The officials said it is hoped the Gaza deal, once set into motion, will cool tensions in the region and create conditions for negotiations on more normalization deals between Israel and Arab nations.

US President Donald Trump in his first term brokered what are known as the Abraham Accords, normalization deals between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan.

The officials said Saudi Arabia is a candidate for such an agreement with Israel, as are Indonesia, Mauritania, Algeria, Syria and Lebanon. Reuters