About 150 US soldiers are now based in a large warehouse in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, about 20km from the Gaza Strip.
All in all, “about 600” people work daily from the site, Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the US Central Command (CENTCOM) told AFP, adding that “60 countries and international organisations” are represented among them.
The main goals for the US are to help monitor the US-sponsored ceasefire and support the entry of humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory, in accordance with President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
Hawkins said most of the American military personnel at the CMCC are specialists in civil engineering, transport or strategic planning.
On the Israeli side, soldiers from various branches of the military are present, notably Cogat, the defence ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories.
Operational issues
Military personnel and diplomats from several other countries including France, Britain and the UAE are also present and participate in meetings on security and humanitarian issues in Gaza, devastated by more than two years of war.
Many NGOs, development agencies and UN bodies are also represented and often consulted on operational issues, as delivering aid to Gaza is particularly complex.
Although journalists have had access to the CMCC only during tightly supervised visits, many high level foreign and Israeli officials have toured the centre.
In addition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Egyptian General Sherif Saleh have all visited.
However, several diplomatic sources told AFP that European officials in contact with the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority no longer have access to the facility, following a request by the Israelis to the Americans.
In order to monitor the ceasefire in real time, US officials receive information via partners, including Egypt, from Hamas about Israeli violations, which they cross-check with Israeli reports, several diplomatic, humanitarian and security sources told AFP. CENTCOM did not comment.
Israeli officials present in the Kiryat Gat warehouse also report Palestinian factions’ ceasefire breaches directly to their US counterparts.
Since Oct 10, both sides have accused each other almost daily of ceasefire violations.
The Trump administration has commented several times on various incidents including Hamas’s killing of civilians, Israeli air strikes resulting in civilian casualties, or deadly clashes between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters.