At a time when the risk of breaches to the Gaza Strip ceasefire was growing, the US government launched a new control system in the region. As reported by the New York Times, the Pentagon has recently begun using surveillance drones over Gaza in coordination with Israel.
According to sources, these drones are designed to ensure compliance with the ceasefire process and control ground movements. The US military did not disclose their exact routes, but it turned out that the flights are being carried out in cooperation with the US Central Command's (CENTCOM) Center for Civilian-Military Coordination in Israel.
The main task of this center is to monitor the peace process in Gaza and coordinate humanitarian and security assistance. Although the peace agreement, mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, has been in force since October 10, serious contradictions are currently observed regarding its compliance.
For this reason, US Vice President Jay DiVence, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and a number of high-ranking officials have arrived in Israel and are holding talks to strengthen the peace process. According to Bloomberg and CNN sources, the White House also has concerns about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's possible withdrawal from the deal.
During his visit to the center in Israel, Rubio noted that "it is natural that there will be difficult turning points in the peace process, but we have sufficient grounds for healthy optimism."
Interestingly, this time the US used its own drones instead of using Israeli reconnaissance drones. Experts attribute this to Washington's desire to assess the situation independently.
As a reminder, during the Gaza war, the US and Israel consistently shared military intelligence. Previously, the US used MQ-9 Reaper drones in operations to rescue hostages and delivered this information to Israel.
However, this mission indicates that the US is taking an independent position on the situation. Former US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro described this as "a very deep step for American monitoring on a front that Israel sees as an active threat."
He believes that if there were complete trust between Washington and Tel Aviv, there would be no need for such independent observation.
According to CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins, "A special area has been established at the Civilian Military Center, allowing real-time surveillance of events in Gaza, and the situation remains very precarious."
Although the Israeli army and the US State Department have not yet officially commented on the drones, analysts assess that this step could elevate Washington's diplomatic activities in the region to a new level.
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