members looting an aid truck in northern
Khan Yunis, 31 October 2025 The United States began setting up the Civil-Military Coordination Center immediately after the cessation of hostilities and partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip on 10 October 2025. The CMCC was officially opened on 17 October. On 11 October 2025, Brad Cooper along with
Steve Witkoff and
Jared Kushner travelled into the Gaza Strip to verify Israel's compliance with the first phase of the agreement. On 21 October, US vice-president
JD Vance visited the CMCC headquarters in
Kiryat Gat, Israel. On 24 October, US Secretary of State
Marco Rubio visited the headquarters. On the same day, the New York Times reported that the US military had begun operating surveillance drones over the Gaza Strip to monitor ground activity, with Israel's consent. On 29 October, Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu officially visited the CMCC for the first time. He was accompanied by senior IDF officials including Major General
Yaakov Dolf, who will lead coordination between the IDF and the CMCC. Netanyahu reaffirmed his support for the CMCC's joint mission while reiterating that disarming Hamas remained a priority. On 30 October, it was reported that representatives from 14 countries and 20 international organisations were present at the centre. From 30 October-1 November, US
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General
Dan Caine, visited Israel and met with Israeli Chief of Staff
Eyal Zamir and defence minister
Israel Katz. According to Katz, "We discussed the challenges in the near and distant arenas, foremost among them the Gaza Strip, and our commitment to the release of all the hostages, the demilitarization of Gaza, and the disarmament of Hamas." General Caine also toured the Gaza Strip via helicopter and met with IDF liaison Yaakov Dolf at the CMCC. On 7 November, it was reported that the CMCC had taken over oversight of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, with Israel's
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories taking on secondary role in deciding what enters Gaza. Early reports, according to the
Guardian newspaper, indicated that Israel had given authority to the U.S. military to handle incoming goods. But, two months later, a U.S. official asserted that Israel remains in control of Gaza's perimeter and everything entering it. "It is an integration. It is hand in glove. They [the Israelis] remain the hand, and the CMCC have become the glove over that hand," said the official. The Office of Prime Minister Netanyahu did not respond to requests for comment on the report. It was later reported by the AFP that a diplomatic source told them “There are roundtables on everything" at the CMCC but “this isn’t where decisions are actually made.” He cited parallel channels, including a group supervised by an associate of US Middle East envoy
Steve Witkoff, as having greater influence than the personal at the CMCC. Israeli media has reported complaints from their soldiers that they "can’t do anything without US approval" across the
Yellow Line and that "In practice, control over the Strip was ceded to the United States" without any reference to the CMCC. US CENTCOM's Captain Tim Hawkin's responded to the AFP saying there were “frictions and challenges” but that “We are making progress ... while fully recognizing that there is more work ahead.” ==Personnel and contributing nations==