The US plans to build a military base worth $500 million in Israel near the Gaza border to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian enclave, Israeli media has said.
The daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing anonymous Israeli officials, said on Tuesday that Washington seeks to establish a large military base in the Gaza border area, which would mark “a significant escalation of US activity in Israel.”
The base would be housing an international task force, which was agreed to be formed under the Gaza ceasefire agreement to monitor the implementation of the truce inside the enclave, the sources said.
Several thousand US soldiers will be stationed at the base, they added.
According to the newspaper, the project would be “the first large-scale American military installation on Israeli territory, underscoring a deepening US commitment to post-war stabilisation efforts in Gaza.”
During Tel Aviv’s two years of genocidal war in Gaza, the US installed a THAAD missile defence system, which was used in the interception of Iranian missiles and drones during a 12-day conflict with Israel.
“The establishment of an American base on Israeli soil shows just how determined Washington is to be involved in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” an Israeli official told the daily.
‘No American boots’
Several US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, previously affirmed that there would be “no American boots on the ground in Gaza.”
Currently, 200 US military personnel are stationed in the US-backed Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel to monitor the ceasefire.
According to Israeli officials, the US-led centre is expected to take full control of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, excluding Israel’s COGAT, which is an Israeli defence ministry unit tasked with logistical coordination between Gaza and Israel.
The Israeli media reports did not specify the exact location of the planned facility while indicating that surveys are under way on possible sites.
There was no immediate comment from the US or Israel on the report.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on October 10, based on a 20-point plan by US President Donald Trump.
Phase one of the ceasefire deal includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.
Since October 2023, Israel's genocide has killed more than 69,000 people and wounded more than 170,600, according to the health officials in Gaza.
