The US military-run center near Gaza, which critics say failed in its mission to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and boost aid to besieged Palestinians, is set to be shut by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Background of the CMCC
The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Israel was established as a key element of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, following a ceasefire meant to halt the Israel-Hamas fighting and allow for rebuilding the territory after its pulverization by Israel in two years of conflict. The center was intended to help ensure aid was delivered to Palestinians in need and to oversee the truce.
Reasons for Closure
The closing of the CMCC marks the latest blow to Trump’s Gaza plan, which has already been undermined by repeated Israeli attacks since the October truce and a refusal by Hamas to lay down its arms. Diplomats and officials said the move underscores the difficulties facing US efforts to oversee the truce and coordinate aid, as Israel seizes more Gaza territory and Hamas firms its grip in areas under its control.
Lack of Authority
Diplomats say the CMCC lacked authority to enforce the ceasefire or ensure aid, making it unclear whether folding it into the International Stabilization Force (ISF) would have much practical effect on the ground. The ISF, which is meant to deploy to Gaza to establish control and maintain security, has yet to do so, with only a handful of countries having pledged troops and none committing to security roles.
Transition to ISF
According to seven diplomats familiar with CMCC operations, the US-led center will soon be shut, and its aid and monitoring responsibilities will be handed to a US-commanded international security mission, the ISF. US officials have privately described the move as an overhaul, but diplomats said it would effectively shutter the center once the ISF takes over.
Once the CMCC is folded into the ISF, the center is expected to be rebranded as the International Gaza Support Center, likely led by US Major General Jasper Jeffers, the White House-appointed ISF commander. The number of US troops working at the revamped ISF would drop from around 190 to 40, with the US seeking to replace those troops with civilian staff from other countries.
Impact on Aid and Ceasefire
The CMCC's establishment was a key element of Trump’s plan, but with Israel continuing to carry out attacks and pushing its armistice line with Hamas deeper into Gaza, the CMCC’s momentum faded. Hamas has also reassumed governance in a coastal slice of Gaza under its control. Some countries now send representatives as little as once a month, and only a handful of countries regularly show up.
Diplomats say aid levels have remained largely stagnant despite an influx of commercial goods entering Gaza, with Israel banning many items that it says can carry dual military and civilian uses, such as poles needed for tents and heavy machinery needed to clear rubble. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, said that 80 percent of trucks entering Gaza daily carried commercial goods purchased in Israel but that they were intended to supplement humanitarian supplies.
Reactions and Concerns
The move could add to unease among Washington’s allies, whom Trump encouraged to deploy personnel to the CMCC and commit funds for his Gaza rebuilding plan, which is effectively on hold since the US launched its joint war with Israel against Iran. An official with Trump’s Board of Peace, set up to oversee Gaza policy, declined to comment on the CMCC’s future but said the center plays a critical role in ensuring aid deliveries and coordinating efforts and advancing Trump’s plan.
Israel says its attacks in Gaza aim to stop threats from Hamas or people approaching the armistice line. Palestinians say this is a pretext to subsume more of Gaza in a bid to force them from land they seek for a future state. More than 800 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire, which was meant to halt a war that started with the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. During the fighting, Israel reduced much of Gaza to rubble, displaced nearly the entire two million population, and ruined infrastructure needed for water distribution, sanitation, and electricity.
