How the Trump Administration Secured the Gaza Ceasefire Deal That Biden Couldn’t

50 Nations Just Joined a U.S. Coordination Center to Save Gaza

U.S. Central Command stated on Nov. 28 that its “Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) has grown to include representatives from 50 partner nations and international organizations.”

This is a major milestone for the center, which opened on Oct. 17. Central Command rushed resources to Israel in the days after a ceasefire deal was agreed in Sinai on Oct. 8.

The Americans outfitted a facility in Kiryat Gat, a town in Israel’s south, to enable coordination among countries and groups involved in Gaza.

Overseeing Coordination

The facility is located in a large warehouse and includes a massive open workspace where various working groups focus on tasks in Gaza, including the coordination of hundreds of trucks crossing into Gaza daily to supply humanitarian aid, as well as engineering operations such as clearing rubble on roads. U.S. boots are not on the ground; rather, the goal is to coordinate with partners who have experience in Gaza.

The CMCC is an important example of Washington’s commitment to keeping the ceasefire in Gaza while figuring out how to fulfill the deal that President Donald Trump proposed in September. That agreement came to fruition in October with support from U.S. allies such as Turkey and Qatar.

The White House was able to rally support behind the deal despite deep disagreements among the countries involved. For instance, Turkey and Qatar were major critics of Israel’s war. Other countries, such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, were critics but tended to be more moderate in their approach.

Where the Biden administration was unable to thread this needle, the Trump administration succeeded in molding the ceasefire and getting a U.S. resolution to back the deal.

What I Saw at the CMCC 

I visited the CMCC in mid-November. Work proceeds around the clock, and developments in Gaza are monitored in real time. The center is serving its purpose, although there are still daily ceasefire violations that could upend the deal.

The challenges being faced are considerable. Much of Gaza lies in ruins from two years of war. Gaza-based health authorities, who are linked to Hamas, say more than 70,000 people have been killed since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Israel Defense Forces continue to control half of Gaza, an area called the Yellow Line, while it appears Hamas controls the other half. The ceasefire deal is supposed to proceed through stages during which Hamas will be disarmed and a new governing authority will appear.

Holding the Ceasefire

The stabilization force envisioned for Gaza continues to face hurdles. Countries need to commit forces but seem reluctant to step forward. Israel is also suspicious of some of the countries that might like to contribute, such as Turkey. Ankara has been sympathetic to Hamas in recent years, even hosting Hamas leaders for meetings.

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said on Nov. 28 that “this is a historic opportunity to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East…We appreciate the efforts of our international partners. Successful implementation of the peace plan requires unprecedented collaboration, and we are making progress.”

There is a lot of work to be done as everyone awaits the stabilization force. For instance, a fiber-optic cable was recently restored.

“The coordination center also facilitated the movement of more than 24,000 trucks worth of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza the past five weeks, while working to open additional routes for delivering and distributing needed goods and aid,” Central Command stated.

Hamas still must hand over two deceased hostages whose remains are held in Gaza. Hamas released 20 living hostages on Oct. 13 as part of the deal and has handed over 26 deceased hostages in six weeks. Hamas members are reportedly hiding in tunnels in Rafah, in southern Gaza.

The IDF said it eliminated a Hamas commander on Nov. 30. In short, the last embers of the war continue to smolder, but the fact that 50 countries and organizations have signed on to work with the CMCC provides incentive to hold the ceasefire.

Waiting Game

The White House will need to find a way to get a stabilization force to deploy, even if its tactical footprint is small. There are Israeli-backed militias operating in small numbers in Gaza, and the training of police there is another issue. Reports indicate that Egypt is undertaking that task, and the European Union is also prepared to play a role—the EU has trained police in the West Bank who work with the Palestinian Authority.

Israel has opposed allowing the Palestinian Authority to play a role in Gaza, leaving a vacuum that Hamas has tended to fill in the past. It’s possible that a reformed Palestinian Authority could play a role, but this is another thorny issue that would need to be worked out.

What comes next at the CMCC appears to be a reduction of U.S. military personnel and a move toward greater civilian participation in work linked to Gaza. The question will be whether the CMCC or other initiatives can begin to work toward reconstruction. Meanwhile, everyone waits for the forces that might play a role in governance and security.

Seth Frantzman is the author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is a Senior Middle East Analyst for The Jerusalem Post. Seth is now a National Security Journal Contributing Editor.