JD Vance confirms extent of US military’s ‘boots on the ground’ involvement following Middle East peace deal

by Nicole Silverio

Vice President JD Vance said there are no plans for U.S. troops to be on the ground in Israel or Gaza after both sides agreed to the first phase of President Donald Trump’s peace deal.

The agreement involves both Israel and Gaza releasing all their prisoners and hostages, respectively, and for Israel to withdraw its troops to a designated position in the Gaza Strip. Vance said on “Meet the Press” that, while Trump does not plan to put boots on the ground, the U.S. will “monitor” both territories to ensure the terms of the peace agreement are followed.

“We’re not planning to put boots on the ground,” Vance told NBC host Kristen Welker. “What we already have is a U.S. Central Command. We already have people in that region of the world. They’re gonna monitor the terms of the ceasefire. They’re gonna monitor, ensure that the humanitarian aid is flowing. They actually confirmed yesterday that Israel pulled back to the agreed-upon lines, which, of course, is the first condition. The second condition, or the second term, is for the hostages to be released. So we have people in that region of the world who are gonna monitor parts of this peace proposal, but the president is not planning to put boots on the ground in Israel.”

WATCH:

Welker stated she based her question off of two U.S. officials telling the outlet the U.S. military planned to send 200 troops to Israel to support the stabilization in Gaza. Vance had stated Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that that story has been “misreported.”

Trump is expected to travel Sunday afternoon to Israel to celebrate the peace agreement and oversee the start of its first phase. Vance noted the hostages in Gaza were expected to be released at any moment and that the president will be greeting them.

There are 48 hostages remaining in Gaza, of which Israel believes 20 are still alive.

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