Deploy 200 Troops, United States Monitors Israel's Ceasefire - Hamas

As many as 200 US troops were tasked with monitoring the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. (Anadolu Ajansi)

JAKARTA - United States troops will start operating on an Israeli military base on Sunday to monitor the implementation of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, according to Israeli media reports.

The Israeli 12 channel reports at least 200 US troops will be stationed at the Hatzor Air Base in southern Israel as part of a monitoring task force. There has been no official confirmation from neither US nor Israeli authorities.

An Israeli security official told Canal 12 that further withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza has not yet become a discussion. But other officials said the special envoys of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, and his team had begun mapping out plans for the next troop withdrawal.

In his post on X on Saturday, Witkoff said he and the US Central Command Commander (CENTCOM) Admiral Bradley Cooper and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, visited Gaza to verify Israel's compliance with Phase I deal.

Israeli media reported Witkoff's visit to Gaza was intended to review the location of the deployment of multinational troops that would consist of soldiers of Islamic, Arab and European countries.

The multinational force will be deployed between urban areas abandoned by Israeli forces and the Gaza-Israeli border.

"According to the agreement, the Israeli army will not make additional withdrawals until the International Stabilization Forces enter Gaza," Kanal 12, adding the deployment of the troops was likely to take several weeks.

The formation of the troops is expected to be discussed at the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt on Monday, when Arab countries urged the UN Security Council to place a mandate for the troops, although Israel refused to because it was deemed to be limiting its military movement space.

The Sharm el-Sheikh summit will be chaired alongside Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, attended by more than 20 countries.

According to an Egyptian presidency statement, the meeting was aimed at ending the war in Gaza, strengthening peace and stability efforts in the Middle East, and opening a new chapter of regional security.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas agreed on the first phase of the 20-point plan submitted on September 29. The deal includes a ceasefire, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, as well as a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The first phase took effect on Friday.

The second phase includes the formation of a new government mechanism in Gaza without Hamas, the formation of multinational forces, and the extension of Hamas weapons.

Since October 2023, Israel's Hamas war has killed more than 67,600 Palestinians. Most women and children, as well as making Gaza uninhabitable.