US to Deploy 200 Troops to 'Oversee' Gaza Truce; Türkiye Ready to Join Mission

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - In a significant move to solidify and monitor a fragile new peace in the Middle East, the United States will deploy a military team of 200 personnel to the region to "oversee" the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, senior U.S. officials announced on Thursday. This American-led oversight team, which will be headed by the chief of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, is expected to include embedded military officials from key regional powers, including Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye. 

The announcement of the U.S. deployment came as Türkiye's own defense ministry declared on Friday that its armed forces, with their extensive experience in peacekeeping, are "ready for any task entrusted to them" in a potential Gaza mission, signaling a broad and coordinated international effort to ensure the durability of the U.S.-brokered truce.

The establishment of this joint control center is a critical component of the 20-point peace plan announced last month by U.S. President Donald Trump, a plan that has culminated in a dramatic breakthrough this week.

 As reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed on Friday that the government had "approved the framework" of a hostage release deal with Hamas, a move that inches both sides closer to a final end to the devastating, more than two-year-long war.

 This formal approval follows a series of intense, indirect, closed-door talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, which resulted in both Israel and Hamas signing off on the first phase of the agreement on Thursday.

According to a senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters, Admiral Cooper "will initially have 200 people on the ground. His role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations." A second official clarified that "no US troops are intended to go into Gaza," emphasizing that the team's role is one of coordination and deconfliction.

The first official explained that the "notion is to make it collegial," with Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish, and "probably Emirati" military officials embedded within the team. The U.S. personnel are intended "to help create the joint control center and then integrate all the other security forces that will be going in there to deconflict with IDF (Israeli Defense Forces)," the second official stated.

The prominent and leading role of the United States in this oversight mechanism was reportedly a key factor in building the confidence of regional partners and, by extension, Hamas. "Putting Admiral Cooper in the room gave a lot of confidence and security to the Arab countries," the first official said. "And therefore it was passed on to Hamas that we were taking a very strong role... in standing behind his guarantees and his commitments here."

This American commitment is now set to be bolstered by regional military participation. In a statement reported by AFP on Friday, a Turkish defense ministry source confirmed Ankara's readiness to contribute to the mission.

"Our Turkish Armed Forces, with their experience in establishing and maintaining peace, are ready for any task entrusted to them," the source said, directly responding to a question about whether the Turkish army would join a task force in Gaza.

The first and most immediate phase of the agreement is the release of hostages. According to Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian, as reported by AFP, "all of our hostages, the living and the deceased, will be released 72 hours later, which will bring us to Monday."

The release of the 47 hostages remaining in Gaza—of whom the Israeli military says 25 are dead—is the condition for the ceasefire to "bring the end to this war," according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. In exchange, Hamas has submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released, which, according to a Hamas source, includes 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and another 1,700 who were arrested by Israel since the war began.

The announcement of the deal on Thursday sparked scenes of jubilation in both Israel and the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. In Tel Aviv's Hostages Square, thousands gathered to celebrate, some holding photos of the captives and waving Israeli and U.S. flags, according to AFP.

"We have been waiting for this day for 734 days," said one celebrant. In Gaza, where the United Nations has declared a state of famine, the news was met with tears of joy and disbelief.

"Honestly, when I heard the news, I couldn't hold back. Tears of joy flowed," displaced Palestinian Samer Joudeh told AFP. "Two years of bombing, terror, destruction, loss, humiliation, and the constant feeling that we could die at any moment."

In a tangible sign of the impending ceasefire, Gaza's civil defense agency reported on Friday that Israeli forces have already begun pulling back from several areas of the territory, particularly in Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Yunis. "Israeli forces have withdrawn from several areas in Gaza City," Mohammed al-Mughayyir, a senior official with the agency, told AFP. He added that Israeli military vehicles had also pulled out from sections of Khan Yunis.

President Trump, who has been the central architect and driving force behind the agreement, announced on Thursday that he plans to travel to the Middle East on Sunday to mark the historic occasion.

"The hostages will be coming back Monday or Tuesday. I’ll probably be there. I hope to be there," he told reporters in the Oval Office. Egypt is reportedly planning a major event to celebrate the conclusion of the deal, and President Trump is expected to stop in Israel and is also considering a visit to the devastated Gaza Strip.

Despite the widespread celebrations and positive momentum, significant and formidable challenges remain.

The U.S.-backed peace plan calls for a second phase that includes the complete disarmament of Hamas and the establishment of a transitional authority for Gaza to be led by President Trump himself, a proposal that has already been rejected by a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan. 

"No Palestinian would accept this," Hamdan told Al Araby broadcaster. President Trump, however, has insisted that the issue of Hamas surrendering its weapons will be addressed. "There will be disarming," he told reporters.

The deal has also faced pushback from within Prime Minister Netanyahu's own far-right coalition. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced he would vote against the agreement, calling the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners "an unbearable heavy price." However, the Israeli government's subsequent approval of the framework indicates that Netanyahu was able to overcome this internal opposition.

The war, which was sparked by the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, has exacted a horrific toll. That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally.

Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,194 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, with more than half of the dead being women and children.

As the region stands on the precipice of a fragile peace, the deployment of the U.S.-led oversight team, with the ready participation of regional powers like Türkiye, will be a critical element in the effort to ensure that this desperately needed breakthrough can transform into a strong, durable, and everlasting peace.