US forces working with Israel on Gaza aid, Israeli official says

JERUSALEM – US forces are taking part in overseeing and coordinating aid transfer into the Gaza Strip together with Israel as part of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, an Israeli security official said on Nov 8.

The Washington Post on Nov 7 reported that the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) will replace Israel in overseeing aid into Gaza.

It cited a US official and people familiar with the matter as saying Israel was part of the process but that CMCC would decide what aid enters Gaza and how.

The Israeli security official said that Israeli security services remain part of policy, supervision and monitoring with decisions made jointly, and that the integration of the CMCC was already under way.

The US embassy in Israel and CMCC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Aid agencies say too little aid getting in

Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas

agreed a month ago to a first phase

of a plan presented by Mr Trump.

It paused a devastating two-year war in Gaza triggered by a

cross-border attack by Hamas militants on Oct 7, 2023

, and secured a deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

The CMCC began operating from southern Israel in late October, tasked with helping aid flow and stabilising security in Gaza, according to the US Central Command.

While the truce was meant to unleash a torrent of aid across the tiny, crowded enclave where

famine was confirmed in August

and where almost all the 2.3 million inhabitants have lost their homes, humanitarian agencies said last week that far too little aid is reaching Gaza.

Israel says it is fulfilling its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, which calls for an average of 600 trucks of supplies into Gaza per day.

Reuters reported on Oct 23 that Washington is considering new proposals for humanitarian aid delivery.

The Israeli official said that the United States will lead coordination with the international community, with restrictions still in place on the list of non-governmental organisations supplying aid and the entry of so-called dual-use items, which Israel considers to have both civilian and military use. REUTERS