The United States is deploying approximately 200 military personnel to Israel to monitor the ceasefire deal struck with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but rumors that American troops are being sent into the Gaza Strip itself are false, White House officials clarified Friday.
“No U.S. troops are intended to go into Gaza,” a senior U.S. official clarified Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced that message on social media Friday, and said that up to 200 U.S. personnel who are already stationed at U.S. Central Command will be tasked with monitoring the peace agreement in Israel and will work with other international forces on the ground.
This is NOT true and taken out of context.
To be clear: up to 200 U.S. 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. https://t.co/V8UoUSrjA5
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) October 9, 2025
U.S. Central Command is establishing a Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel that will help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into Gaza. The center will be staffed by about 200 U.S. service members who have expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, will lead the effort.
“Cooper will initially have 200 people on the ground,” one senior official told reporters. “His role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations.”
Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish, and Emirati military officials will likely be embedded with the team, officials said. The American service members will integrate the multinational force and coordinate with Israeli defense forces.
“The notion is to make it collegial, if you will. And the Israelis will obviously be in constant touch with them,” a senior official said. “Putting Admiral Cooper in the room with negotiators in Egypt gave a lot of confidence and security to the Arab countries.”
The officials said the new team will help monitor implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the transition to a civilian government in Gaza. The troops have already begun arriving and will continue to travel to the region over the weekend to begin planning and efforts to establish the center.
A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that the U.S. troops will likely be stationed in Egypt, though White House Press Secretary Leavitt indicated they would be deployed to Israel. The exact location is still being determined.
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas had “signed off” on the first phase of a Gaza peace plan following his lead in negotiations in Egypt. The Israeli government ratified the deal Thursday, and a ceasefire came into effect Friday at noon local time, ending the bloody two year war between the Israelis and the radical Islamic terror group.
The breakthrough deal is expected to free all remaining living Israeli hostages within days in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The plan also calls for Israel to withdraw troops to agreed-upon lines inside Gaza and for Hamas to eventually disarm.
Trump praised Cooper’s role during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday.
“Cooper — I hear he’s been fantastic,” Trump said, and said the admiral had worked alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to help work out the peace deal.
Earlier this year, Trump floated the idea of the U.S. taking over Gaza for reconstruction purposes, but Leavitt clarified that such a plan would not involve boots on the ground.
“That does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort,” Leavitt said in February. “It means Donald Trump, who is the best dealmaker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region.”