Four questions about the CMCC, the civil-military crisis center, which coordinates the post-war between Israel and Gaza

CMCC began operating in late October from southern Israel, with the mission of facilitating aid deliveries and stabilizing security in Gaza.

How did the United States manage the post-war period in Gaza? For more than a month, the future enclave has been taking shape at a secret location, on Israeli territory. The CMCC building, a civil-military crisis center, rented by American soldiers, is located in Kiryat Gat, a medium-sized city 30 kilometers from Gaza. Franceinfo can visit it.

1 Who is in the middle?

The warehouse is not easy to find, in the Kiryat Gat industrial area. There were no flags or signs, just marines in front of the building, automatic rifles in hand, indicating the American presence. Inside, sound and image recording is very controlled. The Israelis were on the first floor, the Americans on the third and, in between, diplomats, soldiers, humanitarian activists from more than twenty countries and about forty organizations. There were seven Frenchmen, and soon eight: three soldiers, a policeman, a civil security member, two diplomats and soon a specialist in humanitarian matters.

2 What did the people present there do?

They participate seven days a week in American-led workshops. A giant screen serves as a backdrop, a computer is installed on a green synthetic carpet. And in the center of this great hall, printed in large size, is Trump’s 20-point plan to permanently remind everyone of the reason for their presence.

3 What is this coordination center for?

CMCC was created to coordinate the post-war period. As the name suggests, the challenge is enormous: we must rebuild Gaza, deliver humanitarian aid, disarm Hamas, and organize an international stabilization force. The list is dizzying and the methods, worthy of startups showing off, are surprising.

4 What are the obstacles to CMCC?

At the end of this visit, it appeared that the coordinating center was not a decision-making body. He will present a report to the Peace Committee headed by Donald Trump, the composition of which we do not know and which will determine Gaza’s future. And then, it is clear that the future of the enclave is starting to take shape in the absence of the current Palestinians, and in the presence of Israelis under American supervision and who currently appear to have no say in the matter.

Since the ceasefire on October 10, nearly 350 Gazans have been killed by Israeli soldiers, and nearly 800 people injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. At the same time, 572 bodies were removed from the rubble, bringing the total death toll to more than 69,500 since the October 7 massacre.