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U.S. service members will arrive in Israel by Sunday to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire with Hamas, Fox News has learned.
The U.S. troops, all of whom come from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), will set up the civil military command center as the ceasefire unfolds, a senior U.S. official said.
Some of the service members are coming from the U.S. and some were already in the region. Most are with the Army.
They are experts in logistics, security, engineering and transportation.
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Israeli soldiers stand near their tanks along the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel on Friday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
None of the troops will be going into Gaza.
Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, attended talks in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and former White House advisor and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a U.S. official confirmed.
Cooper then flew to Israel and is currently in the country.
The Israeli government approved and signed the first phase of the Trump-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza overnight Thursday, kicking off a 24-hour countdown clock during which time troops had to withdraw to a pre-determined position.
Israeli soldiers along the Israeli-Gaza border on Friday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
“Following the political echelon’s instructions and due to the situational assessment, the IDF has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement. As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon. The IDF continues to be deployed in the area and prepared for any operational development,” the IDF wrote on X.
Hours later, the IDF confirmed that the ceasefire commenced and that ops had positioned themselves “along the updated deployment lines.”
Witkoff said Friday morning that CENTCOM confirmed the IDF had completed the first phase of its withdrawal from Gaza, which allowed the ceasefire to go into effect at noon local time, and that Hamas’ 72-hour window to release the hostages had begun.
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Israeli soldiers move near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel on Thursday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Witkoff reportedly told mediators he could have a command center to monitor the ceasefire set up within two-and-a-half weeks.
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CENTCOM’s role in monitoring the ceasefire with Qatar and Turkey was a big reassurance to the negotiating parties, according to those involved in the talks.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.