Israel downgraded by US to ‘support staff’ in Gaza command center

Decisions are now being made by the broader international body, a significant adjustment from Israel’s previous position of control.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The US is dominating management of humanitarian aid and ceasefire coordination in Gaza, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.

The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, established to oversee the Gaza ceasefire and stabilization efforts, is now directed primarily by American officials under President Donald Trump’s regional peace initiative, with Israel serving in a supporting capacity.

Israeli defense officials have confirmed that the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT)—the Defense Ministry branch long responsible for aid oversight—has been shifted to an operational role within the CMCC rather than a policy-making one.

“Decisions are now being made by the broader international body,” one official said, describing the change as a significant adjustment from Israel’s previous position of control.

The CMCC, located inside Israel but run under US command, includes representatives from a dozen countries, among them Britain, France, Germany, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

It functions as the logistical hub for what Washington calls the International Stabilization Force (ISF), a multinational contingent set to take over Gaza once the Israel Defense Forces complete their withdrawal.

The structure was outlined in the Trump administration’s comprehensive Gaza ceasefire plan, signed in October in Sharm el-Sheikh by Trump and the leaders of Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt.

The agreement is expected to be ratified through a forthcoming UN Security Council resolution that incorporates Trump’s full 20-point framework for Gaza’s reconstruction, demilitarization, and governance.

Israeli sources say the United States has become the central authority not only on aid convoys but on security, logistics, and political coordination—areas once directed from Jerusalem.

The shift has raised quiet concern within Israel’s defense establishment, particularly as Hamas continues to regroup in areas south of the ceasefire line.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel will not permit Turkish participation in the international deployment, while a senior US official said Washington is in talks with several Arab and Asian states to provide troops under a two-year mandate.

President Trump told reporters the plan is “working out very well,” saying the stabilization force will be on the ground “very soon.”

Yet for many in Israel’s defense establishment, the new arrangement reflects a growing reality: key decisions about Gaza’s future are now being made elsewhere.