Overview
- U.S. officials plan to transfer the Kiryat Gat Civil‑Military Coordination Center’s duties to a U.S.-commanded International Stabilisation Force, with diplomats telling Reuters on Friday that the U.S. troop footprint will drop from about 190 to roughly 40 and be backfilled by civilian staff from partner countries.
- The White House’s Board of Peace denies the center is closing and cites big gains in aid delivery, while aid workers and diplomats dispute those claims and report stalled shipments and tighter Israeli controls.
- Diplomats say the center could not enforce the ceasefire or compel access for relief trucks, which raises doubts that the handover will improve conditions as more than 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the October truce.
- The UN‑mandated stabilisation force has yet to deploy in Gaza, few countries have pledged troops, none have taken on security roles, and Washington says U.S. forces will not enter the Strip.
- International engagement at the hub has thinned, with countries that once sent planners and intelligence officers now attending irregularly and, in some cases, only once a month.