US to send about 200 troops to 'oversee' Gaza ceasefire deal

Washington, Oct 10 (IANS) The United States is sending about 200 troops to Israel to "oversee" the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, US media reported.

The task force will "oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations" of the deal, a senior US official told reporters.

According to the official, members of Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish armed forces would be embedded in the US team, Xinhua news agency reported.

The troops will stay in Israel, where they will support logistics, transportation, engineering and planning, the officials said.

“They will not be in Gaza. No US boots on the ground in Gaza,” one of the officials said.

Israel and Hamas agreed to pause hostilities in Gaza on Thursday, a deal Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social network, saying it was the first step to “Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace”. Both sides agreed to a hostage-prisoner exchange that would free about 20 Israeli hostages believed to still be alive and the remains of others who have died.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that the Israeli government had approved the historic deal. It comes after a brutal two-year war that has sparked a global outcry.

A ceasefire is set to take effect within the next 24 hours.

According to officials, US troops could begin deploying to Israel immediately.

Their mission will include facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and helping to manage the deconfliction mechanism, ensuring that both parties adhere to the terms of the security agreements.

--IANS

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