The U.S. military has begun flying surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip in recent days, as part of an effort to ensure that Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization uphold the ceasefire agreement, Israeli and American military officials said on Friday.
The drones are being used, with Israel’s consent, to monitor ground activity in Gaza, according to two Israeli military officials and one American defense official, who declined to disclose the UAVs’ locations.
The three officials said the surveillance missions support the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) established last week in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, by U.S. Central Command. The center’s functions include monitoring the ceasefire.
The ceasefire deal, brokered earlier this month by American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators, has been strained by recent outbreaks of violence in Gaza and ongoing disputes over the exchange of bodies of Israelis and Palestinians killed in the conflict.
Helping locate hostages
Although the U.S. military previously flew drones over Gaza to help locate hostages, its latest reconnaissance efforts indicate that American officials now seek an independent understanding—separate from Israel’s—of what is happening on the ground.
The U.S. State Department, which oversees efforts to monitor the ceasefire, did not immediately respond to detailed questions about the drones. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment.
Since President Donald Trump’s visit to Israel last week, several high-ranking American officials have visited the country to reinforce the ceasefire agreement, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Several members of the Trump administration, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, said this week that there is concern within the administration that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may abandon the deal.
On Friday, Rubio toured the new civil-military coordination center, which includes about 200 American service members. The U.S. military said the center will monitor the ceasefire’s implementation and “help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical and security aid from international actors” into Gaza. “There will be ups and downs and turns, but I think we have many reasons for cautious optimism about the progress being made,” Rubio said.
Israel and the U.S. are deeply intertwined on security issues. Washington provides Israel with weapons and funding, and the two countries share intelligence. In June, they also cooperated on airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear sites.
In the early stages of the war, the U.S. used MQ-9 Reaper drones over Gaza to assist in hostage rescue efforts, sharing intelligence from those missions with Israel, including locations where hostages might be held.
An American diplomat and a former defense official, along with several Israeli officials, expressed surprise at the latest U.S. surveillance missions in Gaza, given the close military ties between the two countries.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
