White House targets Abraham Accords expansion
After the Israel‑Hamas ceasefire, the White House is pressing to expand the Abraham Accords, a push aided by a Trump‑brokered effort that secured Netanyahu’s participation in a Sharm el‑Sheikh peace conference; Vice President JD Vance said the president is departing for the Middle East to meet hostages and named Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as key negotiators. The U.S. has deployed CENTCOM personnel to Israel to monitor the ceasefire (none will enter Gaza) with Adm. Brad Cooper involved and a regional command center possibly operational in about 2.5 weeks, while Egyptian officials and, according to Vance, some Muslim‑majority countries — potentially including Indonesia — have expressed readiness to contribute forces to Gaza within a UN‑mandated Security Council framework.
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International
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📌 Key Facts
- CENTCOM personnel will be on the ground in Israel by Sunday to monitor the ceasefire; the U.S. team’s composition and specialties have been specified and officials say none of its members will enter Gaza.
- Adm. Brad Cooper took part in the Sharm el‑Sheikh talks, is now in Israel, and a CENTCOM command center supporting the mission could be operational in roughly 2.5 weeks.
- Vice President JD Vance said the President is set to depart 'this evening' for the Middle East to meet hostages.
- Vance publicly identified Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as key members of the negotiating team.
- Vance said Muslim‑majority countries — reportedly including Indonesia — have committed or expressed readiness to deploy ground forces to secure Gaza; Egypt confirmed some countries have expressed readiness and said Cairo would commit troops under a UN‑mandated framework.
- Officials described a Security Council pathway to authorize and define the international force’s mission, and Trump personally helped secure Benjamin Netanyahu’s participation in the Sharm summit (via a call to Egypt’s Sisi and by urging Netanyahu during a ride from Ben Gurion Airport to the Knesset), a move said to potentially strengthen efforts to expand the Abraham Accords.
📚 Contextual Background
- A peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump called for Hamas to free all remaining hostages and for the Israeli military to begin withdrawing from parts of Gaza in phases; the plan also proposed transferring parts of Gaza to a "technocratic" Palestinian committee and deploying a temporary security force backed by Arab states.
- A 2025 U.S. peace plan linked a hostage release to a reciprocal exchange involving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
- U.S. officials in 2025 described a two-phase approach to ceasefire negotiations in which an initial hostage release would be followed by an Israeli military pullback to a previously held boundary position, while decisions about Gaza's future governing structure could be negotiated concurrently.
- The 2025 Trump peace proposal called for an end to Israel's military operations in Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip under a Palestinian governing body overseen by a U.S.-led international coalition.
📰 Sources (5)
Trump brokered Netanyahu's participation at Gaza peace conference in Egypt
New information:
- Trump secured Netanyahu’s participation in the Sharm summit via a call to Egypt’s Sisi, potentially strengthening efforts to expand the Abraham Accords.
- Netanyahu agreed to attend after Trump urged him during their ride from Ben Gurion Airport to the Knesset.
Transcript: Badr Abdelatty on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Oct. 12, 2025
New information:
- Egypt confirms some countries have expressed readiness to deploy forces to Gaza and that Cairo itself will commit troops within a UN‑mandated framework.
- Details a Security Council pathway to authorize and define the international force’s mission.
Transcript: Vice President JD Vance on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Oct. 12, 2025
New information:
- Vance said the President is set to depart 'this evening' for the Middle East to meet hostages.
- He publicly identified Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as key members of the negotiating team.
- He claimed commitments from Muslim‑majority countries, extending to Indonesia, to deploy ground troops to secure Gaza.
US sends CENTCOM troops to Israel for Trump-brokered Hamas ceasefire monitoring
New information:
- Confirms CENTCOM personnel will be on the ground in Israel by Sunday to monitor the ceasefire.
- Specifies composition and specialties of the U.S. team and that none will enter Gaza.
- Details that Adm. Brad Cooper participated in Sharm el‑Sheikh talks and is now in Israel; command center could be operational in ~2.5 weeks.