U.S. Flies Drones Over Gaza to Monitor Cease-Fire, Officials Say

The U.S. military has begun operating surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip in recent days as part of a broader effort to ensure that both Israel and Hamas adhere to a fragile cease-fire agreement, Israeli and American military officials said. The drones have been used to monitor ground activity in Gaza, with the consent of Israel, according to two Israeli military officials and a U.S. defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational details. They said they were not able to share the drones' flight paths. Those three officials added that the surveillance missions were operating to support a new Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, which was established last week by the U.S. military's Central Command, in part to monitor the cease-fire. The truce deal, brokered by American, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators earlier this month, has been strained by a recent flare-up of violence in Gaza and lingering tensions over the exchange of deceased Israelis and Palestinians.