ISTANBUL

US Vice President JD Vance said despite the role it played in reaching the new Gaza ceasefire deal, the US has no plans to deploy American troops to Gaza or Israel.

"We're not planning to put boots on the ground," Vance told NBC in an interview that aired Sunday, adding that this applies to both Gaza and Israel.

"What we already have is a US Central Command,” he said, referring to the US CENTCOM, which covers the Middle East.

“They are going to monitor the terms of the ceasefire ... (and) ensure that the humanitarian aid is flowing.”

Vance said that many majority-Muslim countries had offered to send troops to the region to secure Gaza and that American troops would not be needed.

Stating that he thinks the ceasefire deal brought an end to the war in Gaza, Vance added: "We are going to have to do a lot of work to make sure that it stays ended."

Israeli hostages could be released 'any moment now'

Vance said that ahead of a Monday deadline, the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza could be released “any moment now.”

Vance said that "you can't say exactly the moment they will be released, but we have every expectation — that's why the president is going — that he will be greeting the hostages early next week," referring to Monday’s peace summit in Egypt, which Trump is set to attend.

He also told ABC there are 20 living hostages expected to be released in the next 24 hours.

The summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi with over 20 countries attending, seeks to "end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to bring peace and stability to the Middle East, and usher in a new phase of regional security and stability," the Egyptian presidency said.

Disagreement over UN Security Council mandate for security force

Last month, Trump unveiled a 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza that includes the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.

Phase two calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force made up of Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas. It also stipulates Arab and Islamic funding for the new administration and reconstruction of the strip, with limited participation from the Palestinian Authority.

The formation of the security force is expected to be discussed during the summit in Egypt, as Arab countries want the UN Security Council to set the force’s mandate, amid Israeli opposition to this, claiming that this would restrict its military freedom of action.

Arab and Muslim countries have, by and large, welcomed the plan, but some officials have also said that many details in it need discussion and negotiations to be fully implemented.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed over 67,600 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.