WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private sector players, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release, said U.S. Central Command is going to establish a “civil-military coordination center” in Israel that will help facilitate as well as logistical and security assistance into the territory wracked by .
The remarks provide some of the first details on how the ceasefire deal would be monitored and that the U.S. military would have a role in that effort. After Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a , a litany of , including Hamas disarmament, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a future government in the territory.
One of the officials said the new team will help monitor implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the transition to a civilian government in Gaza.
The coordination center will be staffed by about 200 U.S. service members who have expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering, said the official, who noted that no American troops will be sent into Gaza.
A second official said troops would come from U.S. Central Command as well as other parts of the globe. That official added that the troops already have begun arriving and will continue to travel to the region over the weekend to begin planning and efforts to establish the center.
A to pause the was reached Wednesday after the United States and mediators in the region pressured to end the fighting that has devastated the Gaza Strip, killed , sparked other conflicts and isolated Israel.
That push sealed an agreement on a first phase that would free the remaining living within days in exchange for the release of hundreds of by Israel.
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