US Deploys 200 Troops To Oversee Gaza Ceasefire Deal

More American troops to the war-ravaged Levant… but this time it is for peace, at least if all goes according to plan. Up to 200 US troops already based in the Middle East will be deployed to Israel to help oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, US officials say.

The military apparatus or operations room which the US will lead will be known as the civil-military Joint Control Center and will include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE. Interestingly, the presence of Turkish troops as well as Arab soldiers appears to be a compromise reached at Hamas request. Hamas has specifically wanted greater Turkish involvement in post-war Gaza.

The American role will reportedly be to “integrate” the multinational force, which will actually be sent into the Strip. Turkish and Arab troops will likely be seen as more ‘neutral’ compared to a scenario of American boots directly on the ground.

Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) will head up the coordination center, and presumably will communicate strategy and actions with the Israelis. “Cooper – I hear he’s been fantastic,” President Trump has said of the commander.

The Associated Press, citing an official, described that American troops with “expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering” are being sent, but also underscored that “no American troops will be sent into Gaza.”

But AntiWar.com has flagged a source which says that the troops could eventually be pulled directly into the Palestinian enclave:

However, according to a report from Middle East Eye, Egypt has informed the US that it wants US military personnel to be part of the peacekeeping force that is expected to be established by the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Troops have reportedly already begun arriving, given they were pulled from US bases in the region, and are expected to continue traveling through the weekend, and efforts to establish the center will happen rather quickly.

Already former US military personnel have been present inside the Gaza Strip, manning humanitarian aid distribution checkpoints, in the capacity of defense contractors. This has proven controversial – but the new US deployment is only expected to assist from afar, safely on Israeli soil.

Adm. Cooper has indicated his fully staffed command post and coordination center should be up and running in the next two-and-a half-weeks.

By the start of next week, Hamas is expected to have begun releasing all of the remaining Israeli hostages, after which the big question will be implementation of phase two and huge obstacles like Hamas laying down its arms and demilitarizing.

Republicans as well as many international leaders have been widely hailing Trump’s Gaza peace deal, but will it stick?

200 U.S. troops heading to Israel.@RC_Greenway says the mission is to secure hostage transfers — not boots on the ground in Gaza.
A crucial step in holding the peace — and showing the world America still leads. pic.twitter.com/CIoA110eyy

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 9, 2025

Already as of noon Friday (local), the Israeli military has withdrawn from most urban areas in Gaza, back to an agreed-upon line according to the 20-point peace plan, and the truce is holding.

At least 100 US troops have long been inside Israel to operate the two THAAD missile interceptors, which were heavily relied upon to protect the country from Iranian ballistic missile and drone threats.