US plans to establish $500M military base near Gaza border: Israeli media

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

The US plans to build a $500 million military base in Israel near the Gaza border to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian enclave, Israeli media said Tuesday.

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth, citing anonymous Israeli officials, said 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 in 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 stabilization efforts in Gaza.”

During Tel Aviv’s two years of war in Gaza, the US installed a THAAD missile defense system, which was used in the interception of Iranian missiles and drones during a 12-day conflict with Israel, it added.

“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.

Several US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, previously affirmed that there will 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 center is expected to take full control of humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, excluding Israel’s COGAT mechanism.

The Israeli newspaper did not specify the exact location of the planned facility while indicating that surveys are underway on possible sites.

There was no immediate comment from the US or Israel on the report.

The Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct. 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 Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israel's genocidal war has killed more than 69,000 people and injured more than 170,600, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.