Khaberni - Military officials said the U.S. military has begun operating reconnaissance drones over the Gaza Strip in recent days as part of a broader effort to ensure both Israel and Hamas adhere to a fragile ceasefire agreement.
According to the "New York Times": "The drones were used to monitor ground activity in Gaza, with Israel's approval."
US and Israeli officials added that "the surveillance missions are operational to support a new military-civilian coordination center in southern Israel, which was established last week by the U.S. Central Command, partly to monitor the ceasefire."
Throughout the two-year ongoing war, the Israeli military has extensively used drones for gathering intelligence and conducting attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Though the U.S. military had previously launched drones over Gaza to help pinpoint hostage locations, its recent reconnaissance efforts indicate that U.S. officials want to have their independent understanding of what is happening inside the sector, according to the American newspaper.
Since President Trump's visit to Israel last week, several top U.S. officials visited the country in an attempt to support the ceasefire agreement, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Several officials in the Trump administration said there is concern within the administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might cancel the agreement.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the new military-civilian coordination center, which includes about 200 American military personnel.
The U.S. military reported that the center will monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and "will help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security aid from concerned international entities" to the sector.
In the early stages of the war, the United States used MQ-9 Reaper drones in Gaza to support efforts to recover hostages and shared information from those drone missions with Israel, indicating locations where hostages might be held.
A former American diplomat and defense official expressed his surprise at the American surveillance missions in Gaza, given the close military relations between the two countries.
Daniel Shapiro, who served as the American ambassador to Israel during President Barack Obama's administration, said, "This is a major intervention on a front where Israel sees an active threat."
He added, "If there were complete transparency and trust between Israel and the United States, there would be no need for this. But clearly, the United States wants to rule out any possibility of misunderstanding."
