The United States is taking the first important steps toward preserving the Gaza peace deal. The deal was agreed in Sinai on October 8, and the ceasefire began on October 13. However, it has faced challenges because Hamas continues to operate in Gaza, and it will take time to build the capacity of any force that might replace Hamas or any governing body to administer Gaza.
In order to fill the vacuum, there will need to be more buy-in from all the countries and groups that want the ceasefire to continue.
In order to move things forward, US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on October 21. US Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were already in the country, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected. This illustrates that the US is rushing resources to get things started in Gaza. The IDF is also busy marking the “Yellow Line” that divides the area under the IDF’s control from the rest of Gaza.
US Central Command has sent personnel to Israel. This is important because it shows how CENTCOM will play a role: Vance visited the new Civil-Military Coordination Center that has been established to support Gaza stabilization.
US Central Command said on October 21 that it had opened a Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Israel on October 17, “marking the formal establishment of a main coordination hub for Gaza assistance five days after world leaders signed a US-brokered plan to permanently end the war between Israel and Hamas.”
It added that the CMCC was “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.”
US Central Command's work in Iraq and Syria
This is going to be a big operation and Central Command has the experience. It has been doing “advise and assist” work in Iraq and Syria for years and has worked throughout the Gulf. It has also done “train and equip missions” and knows how to work “by, with, and through” partner forces.
Having a coordination center is key to making sure there is deconfliction and a way for everyone to coordinate, including partner countries such as the United Kingdom.
“Bringing together stakeholders who share the goal of successful stabilization in Gaza is essential for a peaceful transition,” US Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said on October 21.
“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.”
US Central Command has more details about the center, which is in southern Israel: “The CMCC will also 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.”
CENTCOM has said that 200 US personnel are here to work on this initiative. These include people with experience in “transportation, planning, security, logistics, and engineering,” and they are “under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, commander of US Army Central (ARCENT).”
Cooper added that “the team worked tirelessly to build the CMCC from the ground up… They can take great pride in knowing that they have built something that is critical to enabling the transition to civilian governance in Gaza.”
It is important to note that these are not the only Americans involved in key initiatives in this area. Since around 2005, the United States has also played a role with the Palestinian Authority via the US Security Coordinator (USSC) for Israel and the PA. Lt. Gen. Michael R. Fenzel has served as USSC since November 2021.
The goal is to build the capacity of the PA Security Forces. In addition, the US backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation initiative. The GHF also had a component of private security contractors, some of whom were Americans.