US Central Command opens Civil-Military Coordination Center in Israel to back Gaza deal

On October 21, US Vice President JD Vance spoke at a press conference at the new Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) opened by US Central Command (CENTCOM) in southern Israel on October 17. “We are one week into President Trump’s historic peace plan in the Middle East, and things are going, frankly, better than I expected that they were,” Vance said. CENTCOM noted that “the CMCC is designed to support stabilization efforts. US military personnel will not deploy into Gaza but will instead help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts into Gaza.”

The new CMCC site is in Kiryat Gat, about 20 miles from Gaza. It “is the headquarters of the fledgling US-led force meant to oversee the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire,” The Times of Israel noted. “Sources told Fox News last week that roughly 200 U.S. troops had arrived in Israel, along with a C-17 transport plane packed with command-and-control equipment and supplies,” Fox News reported. Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, commander of US Army Central (ARCENT), is leading the US initiative.

Vance made a high-profile visit to the new site as part of a multi-day visit to Israel. He traveled to the CMMC with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both of whom have played key roles in the US-backed Gaza deal agreed to on October 8 in Egypt. The ceasefire in Gaza began on October 13 as Hamas released 20 living hostages. Hamas has transferred the bodies of 15 more hostages to Israel since October 13. The ceasefire has largely held, despite clashes. On October 19, two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in Gaza by terrorists, and Israel responded with heavy airstrikes, straining the ceasefire.

CENTCOM said it had formally established the CMCC on October 17, “five days after world leaders signed a U.S.-brokered plan to permanently end the war between Israel and Hamas.” Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of CENTCOM, noted that “bringing together stakeholders who share the goal of successful stabilization in Gaza is essential for a peaceful transition.“ Over the next two weeks, US personnel will “integrate representatives from partner nations, non-governmental organizations, international institutions, and the private sector as they arrive to the coordination center,” Cooper added.

The UK is sending a major general “and a small number of troops,” Sky News reported, noting that the British officer will be a deputy to the US commander at the site. This close cooperation mirrors similar collaboration in other initiatives, such as the US-led Coalition against the Islamic State, in which senior British officers played a similar role alongside the US.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey noted that British forces would contribute to monitoring the ceasefire but would not enter Gaza, according to Sky News. “Britain will play an anchor role, contribute the specialist experience and skills where we can. We don’t expect to be leading […] but we will play our part,” Healey said. The UK Ministry of Defense noted that the British role will mean the “UK remains integrated into the US-led planning efforts for Gaza post-conflict stability.”

Sky News further reported that the Center is “expected to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.” Israel does not have formal relations with Qatar, although Doha has played a role in financing Gaza in the past via Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated opposition to Turkish forces entering Gaza. Vance also mentioned Indonesia in his speech at the CMCC, though it was unclear what role the country might play.

Israel’s Ynet described the CMCC site as “located in a large industrial complex and flies the flags of Denmark, Germany and Jordan—but notably not those of Turkey or Qatar, amid concerns over their potential postwar roles in Gaza. Separate floors are designated for Israeli and American personnel, with one shared level.”

CENTCOM’s statement noted that the CMCC will “monitor implementation of the ceasefire agreement, featuring an operations floor that allows staff to assess real-time developments in Gaza. Additionally, office and meeting spaces are set up to foster collaborative planning among leaders, representatives, and staff.” The 200 Americans deployed at the facility will be skilled in transportation, security, logistics, engineering, and other tasks. “The team worked tirelessly to build the CMCC from the ground up,” Admiral Cooper said. “They can take great pride in knowing that they have built something that is critical to enabling the transition to civilian governance in Gaza.”

Vance praised the new center. “You have Israelis and Americans working hand-in-hand to try to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, to implement a long-term peace, and to actually ensure that you have security forces on the ground in Gaza, not composed of Americans, who can keep the peace over the long term,” he said. The Times of Israel noted that “despite the presence of the foreign soldiers, the CMCC’s composition, role, chain of command, legal status and other issues have yet to be agreed on, and it is not yet clear which countries will agree to send troops into Gaza to ensure lasting calm on the ground as part of a UN-mandated international stabilization force.”

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).