Two high-ranking representatives of the White House, directly involved in the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip, spoke about the role of the American military during a press teleconference. As they informed, the Central Command, headed by Admiral Bradley Cooper, will help organize a joint task force composed of 200 US soldiers. As one of the officials stated, These forces will also include soldiers from Qatar and Egypt, and probably also from Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
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“No American soldiers will be directly in the Gaza Strip.”
— Initially, he (Admiral Cooper) will have 200 men on site. His role will be to supervise, observe, make sure there are no violations, intrusions, etc., said one of the American negotiators. As he announced, on the basis of these initial forces, a full International Stabilization Force, as mentioned in President Trump's plan, would be created. Officials stressed, however, that no American soldiers would be directly in the Gaza Strip, although they could not determine exactly where they would be stationed.
Negotiators argued that Cooper's role contributed to the breakthrough in the negotiations on Wednesday, providing certainty to Middle Eastern partners. They suggested that this is also related to guarantees to Hamas that the terms of the agreement will be respected.
“And that is why it was conveyed to Hamas that we will play a very strong role, that the president will take a very strong position, standing behind his guarantees and commitments, that the people (Israelis) will not engage in offensive actions, guarantees and commitments, that Hamas, if it wants amnesty, must renounce violence as a method,” noted one of the White House representatives.
Negotiators suggested that President Trump's “bold decisions” contributed to reaching the initial agreementincluding his use of a failed Israeli attack in Qatar on Hamas leaders. They also claimed that they had the impression that Hamas was exhausted by the war, and that a large part of Palestinians blamed the group for the tragedy that hit the Gaza Strip.
