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The United States is deploying up to 200 troops to Israel to help oversee the Gaza cease-fire process in coordination with regional partners, including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. But the troops, some of whom have already arrived in Israel and will continue to do so through the weekend, won\u2019t be there to conduct offensive operations and won\u2019t be going into Gaza, a U.S. official told Foreign Policy<\/em> on Friday.<\/p>\n The troops will focus on planning and establishing a civil-military coordination center, the official said, without offering specifics on precisely where it will be in Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the developing and sensitive nature of the matter. The center will \u201chelp facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance into Gaza during this cease-fire agreement implementation process,\u201d the official said. \u201cSecondly, it will also serve to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire agreement [to] ensure that it remains on track.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The United States is deploying up to 200 troops to Israel to help oversee the Gaza cease-fire process in coordination with regional partners, including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. But the troops, some of whom have already arrived in Israel and will continue to do so through the weekend, won\u2019t be there to conduct offensive operations and won\u2019t be going into Gaza, a U.S. official told Foreign Policy<\/em> on Friday.<\/p>\n The troops will focus on planning and establishing a civil-military coordination center, the official said, without offering specifics on precisely where it will be in Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the developing and sensitive nature of the matter. The center will \u201chelp facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance into Gaza during this cease-fire agreement implementation process,\u201d the official said. \u201cSecondly, it will also serve to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire agreement [to] ensure that it remains on track.\u201d<\/p>\n The aim is to provide a hub for coordination to avoid introducing chaos \u201cin an already strained area,\u201d the official said, and the center will look to \u201cunify the effort to maximize the flow of support that is poured into Gaza.\u201d The effort is designed to help lay the groundwork for the goal of transitioning to civilian governance in the territory, the official added.<\/p>\n The U.S. official could not say how long the deployment might last, stating that there are a lot of \u201cunknowns.\u201d <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The task force will be spearheaded by U.S. Central Command, which is led by Adm. Brad Cooper. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post<\/a> on X on Thursday that the troops \u201care already stationed\u201d at Centcom and \u201cwill be tasked with monitoring the peace agreement in Israel, and they will work with other international forces on the ground.\u201d Some of the troops being deployed are already in the region, but others are coming from the United States.<\/p>\n This announcement comes after Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to implement the initial phase of U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s Gaza peace plan<\/a>. A cease-fire is now in effect, and Israeli forces have completed a partial withdrawal<\/a>, pulling back to an agreed-on line in Gaza. Hamas is expected to release the remaining hostages in the coming days, though the deal leaves open<\/a> the possibility that the remains of some deceased hostages may not be immediately returned<\/a> due to Hamas\u2019s inability to locate them. More humanitarian aid will also flow into Gaza beginning this weekend.<\/p>\n The peace plan included a call for the United States to collaborate with Arab and other international partners to immediately deploy a temporary international stabilization force to Gaza. The civil-military coordination center will work in support of this force.<\/p>\n Despite cautious optimism, much remains up in the air when it comes to Trump\u2019s plan. There are serious challenges ahead<\/a> for moving the process forward and reaching an agreement that would lead to a permanent end to the war.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday signaled that he\u2019s willing to restart the war if Hamas does not disarm\u2014another element of the peace plan and one that Hamas has not yet agreed to. \u201cHamas will disarm, and Gaza will be demilitarized. If this can be achieved the easy way, all the better; if not, it will be achieved the hard way,\u201d Netanyahu said<\/a>.<\/p>\n When asked whether there were causes for concern regarding the deployment of U.S. troops to Israel amid this period of uncertainty, retired Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversaw U.S. military operations in the Middle East from 2016 to 2019 as the head of Centcom, told Foreign Policy<\/em>: \u201cI am always concerned about the safety of our troops\u2014but if this small deployment can catalyze the security response, then it is worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur recent experience in Lebanon is a good model for this\u2014we provide leadership, connectivity, and advice to our partners. Without knowing many details, this seems like a prudent deployment that supports our interests,\u201d Votel added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This post is part of FP\u2019s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration<\/i>. <\/i>Follow along here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n