WASHINGTON — The US military’s Central Command (
CENTCOM) will oversee the initial stages of the International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployment into the
Gaza Strip — with three or four other nations expected to contribute troops.
CENTCOM’s commander, Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, will “initially have 200 people on the ground” — though no American forces will go into Gaza, US officials told reporters on a White House-organized call.
The American military role was described as coordinating troops provided by
Egypt,
Qatar and
Turkey — and managing deconfliction with the Israelis.
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The US said no American troops would be on the ground.
“[Cooper’s] role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations or incursions — everybody is worried about the other side. So much of this is going to be oversight,” one US official said.
“Embedded in his team of 200 people will be probably a bunch of people from the
Egyptian armed forces who will help, the
Qatari armed forces who will help, as well as the Turks and probably the Emiratis,” the official said.
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A map of the Gaza “buffer zone where the IDF will fall back once cease-fire requirements are met.
Navy Adm. Brad Cooper will “initially have 200 people on the ground” — none of them Americans.”
nypost.com
