Fears Trump's ceasefire deal will not keep peace in Gaza

Conflicting reports over where US troops will be deployed

- TAZ ALI

The US has said it is sending 200 troops to “monitor” the ceasefire deal in Gaza, which is widely believed to be the first step in building an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to bring calm to the besieged Palestinian territory.

The ISF is part of clause 15 of Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, which stipulates the United States will collaborate with Arab and international partners to establish a temporary force in Gaza to train Palestinian police, secure borders and support reconstruction, while serving as a “long-term internal security solution”.

But there are conflicting reports on where the troops will be deployed, with suggestions they will be sent to Egypt or Israel, while experts have cast doubt over how they will oversee the implementation of the deal.

US officials told American media that the US Central Command, led by Admiral Brad Cooper, will establish a civil-military coordination centre in Israel to provide security and humanitarian support.

The US troops who have expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics and engineering will join soldiers from nations in the region, including Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE. Israeli media, citing US officials, reported that the troops are intended to “help create the joint control centre and then integrate all the other security forces that will be going in there to deconflict with the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces)”. A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel