US changes leadership of Gaza mission amid uncertainty over its role
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The Civil-Military Coordination Center is meant to supervise the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza and shape Gaza policy.
PHOTO: REUTERS
JERUSALEM – The US military and civilian leaders of Washington’s flagship mission for Gaza are stepping aside and their replacements have yet to be made public, diplomats said, as European countries rethink their presence in the initiative to shape post-war Gaza.
The top military officer at the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), a three-star lieutenant-general, is expected to be replaced by a US commander of a lower rank, while the top civilian has returned to his job as US ambassador to Yemen.
The CMCC was set up in October 2025 in the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, and is meant to supervise the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, facilitate the entry of aid and shape Gaza policy.
The overhaul in its leadership comes amid what Western officials and diplomats say is growing uncertainty over the body’s future role, as Mr Trump pursues the next phase of his plan, including by setting up a “Board of Peace” of foreign dignitaries to supervise Gaza policy
Lieutenant-General Patrick Frank, the top commander of US Army forces in the Middle East, has been leading the CMCC in southern Israel since it was established.
The US military announced in December that he was being promoted to deputy head of US Central Command.
Four diplomats told Reuters he is expected to leave as soon as next week. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US State Department said in a statement that the CMCC’s civilian lead, career diplomat Steve Fagin, had returned to his post as US Ambassador to Yemen after holding “the transitional role as civilian lead for CMCC”.
The department did not say who would replace him. The four diplomats said a replacement for Mr Fagin had not yet been announced.
Diplomats have said the centre has failed to increase aid flows or achieve political change, with some US partners now reconsidering their involvement.
Under the first phase of the ceasefire plan, major fighting has been halted, hostages were released in exchange for prisoners and Israeli forces have withdrawn from nearly half of the Gaza Strip.
But the warring sides accuse each other of violations.
More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed. The vast majority of Gaza’s more than two million people now live in a small strip of land outside an Israeli-occupied zone, mostly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings.
Mr Trump announced the second phase of his plan in January, under which Israel would withdraw further and Hamas would relinquish day-to-day control of Gaza to an internationally backed administration. REUTERS
