Report: US launches drone missions over Gaza to track ceasefire

The United States military has begun operating surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip in recent days, as part of a broader effort to ensure compliance with the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli and American military officials confirmed to The New York Times on Friday. According to two Israeli military officials and a US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, the drones are monitoring ground activity in Gaza with Israel’s consent. The officials declined to disclose the drones’ flight paths. The surveillance missions are being conducted in support of the newly established Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, set up last week by US Central Command. The center is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and facilitating humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international partners into Gaza. The truce, brokered earlier this month by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, has come under strain following renewed violence in Gaza and ongoing tensions surrounding Hamas’s violation of the agreement by failing to release the bodies of deceased hostages. Related articles: IDF told Hamas is rebuilding, readying for war Hamas resigns - but remains in power Huckabee proposes: Deport Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists They don't care about Gaza While the IDF has used drones extensively throughout the two-year war to gather intelligence and target Hamas terrorists, the latest US drone activity suggests Washington is seeking an independent understanding of developments on the ground. The US State Department did not respond to questions regarding the drone operations. The IDF also declined to comment. (Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)