US to ‘close its flagship Gaza mission’

TEL AVIV: A US military-run body near Gaza that critics say failed in its mission to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and boost aid flows to besieged Palestinians is set to be shut by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The closing of the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) in Israel would mark the latest blow to President Trump’s Gaza peace plan, already undermined by repeated Israeli attacks since the October truce. Diplomats said the move, which has not been previously reported, underscores the difficulties facing US efforts to oversee the truce and coordinate on aid, as Israel seizes more Gaza territory and Hamas firms its grip in areas under its control. The move could add to unease among Washington’s allies, whom Trump encouraged to deploy personnel to the CMCC and commit funds for his Gaza rebuilding plan, effectively on hold since the US launched its joint war with Israel against Iran. Trump-led board denies Civil-Military Coordination Centre is shutting down According to the sources, seven diplomats familiar with CMCC operations, the US-led body’s aid and monitoring responsibilities would soon be handed to a US-commanded international security mission that is meant to deploy to Gaza. US officials have privately described the move as an overhaul, but diplomats said the International Stabilisation Force would in effect take over, ending the CMCC’s role. A diplomat briefed on the US plan said that the number of US troops working at the revamped ISF would drop to 40 from around 190. The US would seek to replace those troops with civilian staff from other countries, the diplomats said. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Diplomats say the CMCC lacked authority to enforce the ceasefire or ensure aid, making it unclear whether folding it into the ISF would have much practical effect on the ground. The Board of Peace denied in a statement posted on social media