The Gaza Board of Peace denied Friday's rumors about closing its Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat, saying the Reuters report was "wrong" and that "the CMCC is advancing its efforts every day to continue delivering aid at a level unprecedented in modern history."
"The CMCC has also played a critical role in advancing security. The ceasefire has continued to hold despite all the predictions from so-called experts. We now have a pathway to the establishment of a transitional government in Gaza and the International Stabilization Force," read a statement posted on X/Twitter.
"Quite simply, life for the people of Gaza gets better on a daily basis. The CMCC has been an essential part of this story and will continue to be mission-critical to our efforts," the statement concluded.
Reuters had reported earlier on Friday that the US military-run center near Gaza was set to be shut by the Trump administration, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Diplomats and officials said the move, which has not been previously reported, underscores the difficulties facing US efforts to oversee the truce and coordinate on aid, as Hamas firms its grip in areas under its control.
The move could also 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.
The Reuters report also cited seven diplomats familiar with CMCC operations, who said the US-led center will soon be shut and its aid and monitoring responsibilities handed to a US-commanded international security mission slated to deploy to Gaza.
US officials have privately described the move as an overhaul, but diplomats said it would in effect shutter the center once the International Stabilization Force (ISF) takes over.
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.
US seeks foreign civilians to replace troops
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 authorized 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.
An official with Trump's Board of Peace, set up to oversee Gaza policy, declined to comment on the CMCC's future but said the center plays a "critical role in ensuring aid deliveries and coordinating efforts" and advancing Trump's plan.
The White House and the US military's Middle East command both referred requests for comment to the Board of Peace.
Once the CMCC is folded into the ISF, the center is expected to be rebranded as the International Gaza Support Center, two of the sources said. It would likely be led by US Maj.-Gen. Jasper Jeffers, the White House-appointed ISF commander.
The ISF was supposed to deploy immediately to Gaza to establish control and maintain security. But that is yet to happen, with only a handful of countries having pledged troops so far, and none have committed to security roles.
Washington has said US troops would not deploy to Gaza.
The ISF has, however, established a walled‑off annex inside the CMCC, which has been operating from a warehouse in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, but access to the annex is tightly controlled by US troops who, three sources said, regularly deny entry to representatives from allied countries.
The CMCC's establishment was a key element of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, following a ceasefire meant to halt Israel-Hamas fighting and allow for rebuilding the territory.
Dozens of countries, including Germany, France, Britain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, sent personnel, including military planners and intelligence officials, to the center as they sought to influence discussions on Gaza's future.
However, diplomats now say the CMCC's momentum faded. Some countries now send representatives as little as once a month, one diplomat said. Another said only a handful of countries regularly showed up.
More than 800 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire, meant to halt a war that started with the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel.
The CMCC was intended to help ensure aid was delivered to Palestinians in need, though diplomats say aid levels have remained largely stagnant despite an influx of commercial goods entering Gaza.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, said that 80% of trucks entering Gaza daily carried commercial goods purchased in Israel, but that they were intended to supplement humanitarian supplies.
The Board of Peace official said Gaza ultimately needs what they described as "a sustainable civilian administration to truly transform from the years of aid dependency and cycles of violence that have clouded its past."