U.S. troops are headed to the Middle East to help ensure the first phase of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas holds. The plan is moving forward, with hopes of bringing the hostages home and a chance for more aid to make its way into Gaza.
In both Israel and Gaza, public celebrations are unfolding as news of this deal spreads.
It has now been two years since the Hamas terror attacks that sparked this war. Local health officials in Gaza say that Israel’s war on Hamas has claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians.
President Donald Trump is now saying that both Israel and Hamas have agreed to a peace plan. Trump also said he plans to travel to Egypt for an official signing of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and that hostages will be released “on Monday or Tuesday.”
Two U.S. officials familiar with the planning told NBC News that the U.S. military is preparing to deploy as many as 200 U.S. troops to Israel to support stabilization in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid and security assistance into the enclave.
“In effect, it’s demonstrating that the U.S. has skin in the game,” said Andrew Reddie, Associate Research Professor at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
Reddie said this deal is significant, but also noted that there are lingering questions about how exactly it will work out. He said questions remain about how the release of the hostages will work, to what extent Hamas will disarm, and how long U.S. troops will be in Israel.
Reddie noted that having U.S. troops in the region will “yield a lot of questions about what those troops are going to be used for in terms of the deal and the subsequent phases of it as it moves forward.”‘
NBC News spoke with Michel Illouz, whose son, Guy Illouz, was kidnapped during the Hamas terror attack two years ago. Illouz told NBC that with the news of this deal, he is awaiting being able to finally see his son’s remains.
“I for sure will recognize my son,” Illouz said. “I want to touch his bones. I want to make sure I have this closure.”
In the Bay Area, many people are closely watching the news of this deal as well.
Rami Abdelkarim, a Bay Area resident and member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, said immediate relief is desperately needed in Gaza.
“So, to know that the Palestinian people and to know that our family members are feeling some type of relief, that they can go to bed tonight and not have bombs falling over their heads is a relief,” said Abdelkarim.
However, he also noted that while some Palestinians are celebrating the news of this deal, at the same time, “people are very, very wary” about this deal and whether it will come with lasting peace.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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