I have been and remain a little skeptical about the Israel/Hamas cease-fire deal. Hamas, if experience is any indication, will just use any peaceful interval to re-arm, recruit, retrain, and plan their next atrocity. I could be wrong; predictions are notoriously hard to make, especially about the future, and this may lead to the lasting peace most of the civilized world hopes for.
In the meantime, it would seem the prudent move to keep any American armed forces out of the immediate area, which means Israel and Gaza. On Sunday's "Meet the Press," Vice President JD Vance appeared with host Kristen Welker and laid down some assurances that there won't be any American forces on the ground in either of those places.
The U.S. will not have "boots on the ground in Gaza or Israel," says @VP.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 12, 2025
"We're going to have CENTCOM troops that are already there that are going to monitor this peace proposal... It's not going to be necessary for American troops to be in Gaza." pic.twitter.com/pOMPhVzLeG
The Vice President said:
We're not planning to put any boots on the ground. What we already have is Central Command; we already have people in that region of the world. They're going to monitor the terms of the cease-fire; they're going to monitor to ensure that the humanitarian aid is flowing; they actually confirmed yesterday that Israel pulled back to the agreed-upon line, which is, of course, the first condition. The second condition, for the second term, is for the hostages to be released. So we have people in that region of the world who are going to monitor parts of this peace proposal, but the president is not planning to put boots on the ground in Israel.
Kristen Welker asks:
What about Gaza? Will U.S. troops ever be sent into Gaza? Just yes or no.
VP Vance:
That's what I mean, Kristen. He is not planning to put boots on the ground in Gaza or Israel. We're going to have Central Command troops that are already there that are going to monitor this peace proposal. We've actually had, and this is one of the great successes of the president's diplomacy, from Indonesia to the Gulf Arab states, we've had a number of Muslim majority countries offer to step up and have them put troops on the ground to secure Gaza. It's not going to be necessary for American troops to be in Gaza.
Note the qualifier: The president is not planning to have boots on the ground. This strikes one as a situation that could change from moment to moment. But for now, we'll take this as good news.
Read More: Infamous Hamas Propagandist Who Has 'Died' a Dozen Times Reportedly Dies for Real This Time
NYT 'Analyst' Flies Wingman for Hamas, Warns Terrorist Group Faces 'Big Risk' by Releasing Hostages
Note that Central Command (CENTCOM) is headquartered at Florida's MacDill Air Force Base, but there are indeed forces in the Middle East, including elements under the U.S. Army Central Joint Task Force, Land Component Command, which maintains forces in Jordan and Kuwait. There are also naval forces under the United States Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and there are other subordinate forces in the area as well.
That's enough forces to provide oversight for this peace deal, for as long as it lasts. There's no reason, for now, to put any American troops into either Gaza or Israel. Let's hope things stay that way.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member