Khaberni - Chief of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kien conducted an exploratory helicopter tour over Gaza Strip airspace on Friday, during an official visit to Israel to discuss regional developments and assess the on-ground situation and follow up on the ceasefire implementation, according to the Israeli press.
The tour included various areas of the sector, some of which suffered extensive damage during the recent Israeli military operations, according to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, though the newspaper did not provide further details about the nature of the tour or whether the American official made any statements during it.
This visit is the second for the American military official after he accompanied President Donald Trump in mid-October last year on a tour during which he met with Israeli army leaders.
Kien arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, where he met his Israeli counterpart Eyal Zamir at the Israeli army headquarters, and held a series of closed meetings with senior Israeli military leaders, discussing security coordination, the future of Gaza after the war, and reconstruction plans, according to Israeli newspapers.
The American general also visited the U.S.-Israeli Civil Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, which was recently opened by the U.S. Central Command to monitor the agreement's implementation and oversee the entry of aid, and there he met with the Israeli general Yaki Dolph, responsible for coordination with the U.S. side.
Last week, the U.S. Central Command opened the Civil Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat aimed at "supporting the stability of Gaza," and appointed the commander of the U.S. Central Forces, Patrick Frank, as the military leader of the center.
The U.S.-Israeli Civil Military Coordination Center is the first operational international platform established by the U.S. Central Command in Israel to follow up on developments in Gaza after the ceasefire agreement.
The ceasefire agreement - which the center will monitor - came into effect on October 10th, based on a plan by the U.S. president which includes -in addition to ending the war- a phased withdrawal of the Israeli army, mutual release of prisoners, and immediate entry of aid to the sector.
Prior to this agreement, Israel, with U.S. support, committed a genocide war since October 7, 2023, which lasted two years, resulting in the martyrdom of 68,643 Palestinians, and injuring 170,655 others, mostly children and women, inflicting destruction that affected 90% of the civilian infrastructure.
