WASHINGTON: The United States will deploy 200 troops as part of a joint Gaza stability task force, with no Americans on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, two senior U.S. officials said Thursday.
The officials, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the 200 would be the core of a task force that would include military representatives from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and likely the United Arab Emirates.
Officials said the exact location of the US troops had not yet been decided. But they would develop a joint control center and integrate other security forces that would work in Gaza to coordinate with Israeli forces and avoid clashes.
“There are no plans for US troops to enter Gaza,” one of the officials said.
Responding to a social media post, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that up to 200 existing CENTCOM staff will oversee a ceasefire in Gaza alongside international forces.
The White House spokesperson's clarification addresses the first phase of an agreement between Israel and Hamas mediated by the United States and announced by President Trump on October 8, 2025, which includes the release of hostages and Israel's partial withdrawal from Gaza, as approved today by Israel's cabinet.
Officials said the Gaza deal, once put in place, is expected to cool tensions in the region and create conditions for negotiations on further normalization deals between Israel and Arab nations.
US President Donald Trump, in his first term, negotiated what are known as the Abraham Accords: normalization agreements between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan.
Officials said Saudi Arabia is a candidate for such an agreement with Israel, as are Indonesia, Mauritania, Algeria, Syria and Lebanon.
