The Board of Peace, led by U.S. President Donald Trump, denied on Saturday an earlier report that the international command center in the Israeli city of Kiryat Gat is shutting down.
The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) continues to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza at an unprecedented level, the Board of Peace tweeted.
Food supply is reaching three times more people than before; aid diversion has dwindled from 90% to less than 1%; and nutrition in the Strip has improved dramatically, the international organization added.
The CMCC is also advancing security in Gaza, with the truce holding up since coming into effect in Oct. 10, the board said.
“We now have a pathway to the establishment of a transitional government in Gaza and the International Stabilization Force. 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 tweet read.
The Board of Peace was formed to oversee the transitional period in Gaza following the two-year war and acts as the supervising authority for the CMCC.
Reuters on Friday reported that the CMCC was set for closure in the wake of Hamas’s refusal to lay down arms and release its political grip on almost half the Strip, and following intensified skirmishes between Israeli forces and Gazan terrorists in recent weeks.
The report cited seven diplomats familiar with CMCC operations as saying that the aid responsibilities would soon be transferred to the U.S.-commanded International Stabilization Force slated to be deployed in Gaza, effectively ending the role of the U.S.-run military body in Kiryat Gat.
The officials further expressed doubt that the International Stabilization Force could enforce the ceasefire and change anything practical on the ground, according to the news agency.
After the merger of the CMCC into the International Stabilization Force, the body is expected to be rebranded as the International Gaza Support Center, the report said, citing two anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter.
The new force is expected to be led by U.S. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, the White House-appointed International Stabilization Force commander, according to the report.
