The Trump administration plans to shutter the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), a U.S.-run facility in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, established to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and coordinate the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Seven diplomats familiar with the center's operations told Reuters the CMCC is set to be shut by the Trump administration. The CMCC was established in Kiryat Gat, Israel, on Oct. 17, 2025, and Vice President JD Vance attended the opening, explaining that U.S. military personnel would not deploy into Gaza but would instead help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts. The center's establishment was a key element of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, following a ceasefire intended to halt the fighting and allow for rebuilding the territory.
Under the restructuring plan, the CMCC's aid coordination and monitoring functions will transfer to the U.S.-commanded International Stabilization Force (ISF), still in the recruitment phase. A diplomat briefed on the plan said the number of U.S. troops assigned to the restructured ISF would drop to 40 from approximately 190, with the U.S. seeking to fill that gap with civilian staff from other countries. Once folded into the ISF, the center is expected to be rebranded as the International Gaza Support Center. The restructured center would likely be led by U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, the White House-appointed ISF commander. The ISF derives its authority from U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted Nov. 17, 2025, by a vote of 13 in favor, with China and Russia abstaining, which authorized the Board of Peace and member states working with it to establish a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza. Authorization for the Board and the ISF expires at the end of 2027.
The operational picture underlying the closure is bleak. Dozens of countries, including Germany, France, Britain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, originally sent military planners and intelligence officials to the CMCC, but as Israel continued operations and pushed its armistice line deeper into Gaza, diplomats say the center's momentum faded. Some countries now send representatives as infrequently as once a month; others said only a handful of countries regularly showed up at all. Diplomats noted that the CMCC lacked authority to enforce the ceasefire or ensure aid delivery, leaving open the question of whether folding it into the ISF would produce any material improvement on the ground. Separately, the ISF itself has not yet deployed as originally intended, and only a handful of countries have pledged troops, with none committing to an active security role.
The administration's response has been contradictory. The White House and U.S. Central Command both referred press inquiries to the Board of Peace. The Board of Peace subsequently denied in a social media statement that the CMCC was closing, without addressing whether the ISF would assume its responsibilities. U.S. officials have described the change internally as an overhaul, but multiple diplomats stated that it will effectively result in the shutdown of the CMCC once the ISF assumes control. That internal-external gap carries diplomatic risk: 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.
> **Key structural facts for practitioners:**
> – **Governing authority:** U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803 (Nov. 17, 2025) authorizes the ISF and the Board of Peace as the transitional administrative framework for Gaza.
> – **CMCC establishment:** Oct. 17, 2025, in Kiryat Gat, Israel, under U.S. Central Command leadership. CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper led the center's establishment; U.S. diplomat Steven Fagin serves as its civilian lead.
> – **Troop footprint change:** 190 U.S. troops reduced to 40; remainder replaced by civilian personnel from allied nations. [1][2]
> – **Rebrand:** CMCC → International Gaza Support Center, under Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers. [4][5]
> – **ISF mandate expiry:** Dec. 31, 2027. [13]
The closure, if confirmed, narrows the operational infrastructure supporting Trump's broader Gaza policy at a moment when Israel continues pushing its armistice line deeper into Gaza and Hamas has reassumed governance in a coastal section of the territory under its control. For allied governments that committed staff and resources to the CMCC based on U.S. assurances, the restructuring raises questions about the durability of the broader stabilization architecture before the ISF has achieved initial operating capability.
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References:
[1] Reuters via NewsNation. (2026, May 1). Sources: US military center near Gaza to close as Israel, Hamas continue conflict. https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/ccmc-military-center-gaza-close-israel-hamas/
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