The US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to “support and monitor” the Gaza ceasefire deal, The Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing US officials.
The officials said that US troops are being deployed as part of a team that will include partner nations, NGOs, and other private companies. US Central Command will establish a “civil-military coordination center” that will help ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and provide “logistical and security assistance.”
One of the officials said that no US troops will be sent to Gaza. 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.
A second US official told the AP that US troops have already started arriving in Israel to establish the ceasefire coordination center. Another official said that some of them are coming from CENTCOM, while others are heading to Israel from other parts of the globe, although White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the troops are already stationed in the Middle East.
Leavitt claimed a report of the US deploying troops to Israel was “not true,” but then confirmed the US was sending military personnel to the country. “To be clear: up to 200 US personnel, who are already stationed at CENTCOM, will be tasked with monitoring the peace agreement in Israel, and they will work with other international forces on the ground,” she wrote on X.
The US already has at least 100 troops inside Israel to operate the two THAAD missile interceptors that the US has deployed to Israel. The US deployed the first THAAD in 2024 and the second one this year, and the systems fired about 150 interceptors to defend Israel during the 12-Day US-Israeli war against Iran, costing at least $2 billion.
Brown University’s Costs of War project said in a report issued on Tuesday that the US has spent between $30 billion and $33 billion on supporting Israel since October 7, 2023, a number that includes direct military aid and US military operations launched in support of Israel.
