JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

An Anadolu correspondent on Friday visited the Civil-Military Coordination Center located in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel.

The Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), officially inaugurated on Oct. 17, is the first international operational platform established by US Central Command in Israel to monitor developments in Gaza following the ceasefire agreement.

A limited number of journalists, including an Anadolu correspondent, were allowed to tour the facility during the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The center has become a regular stop for senior US officials visiting the region.

Rubio is the fourth high-ranking US official to visit the coordination center, following Vice President J.D. Vance, US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, all of whom held similar discussions in recent days regarding progress toward the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The center is located inside a large hall dominated by a giant screen displaying a map of Gaza, alongside another showing the meeting agenda.

Work tables equipped with modern computers line the room, where US officers and soldiers monitor the implementation of the on-ground agreement.

Anadolu’s correspondent observed Secretary Rubio greeting US military personnel and representatives from partner countries, including officers from Canada, Australia, France, and Greece, as well as identifiable Israeli officers, marked by small flags on their uniforms.

In a post on the US social media company X, Rubio said: “I visited the Civil-Military Coordination Center today. Established by @CENTCOM, the brave men and women serving here are overseeing the implementation of President Trump's 20-point peace plan and humanitarian aid in Gaza. Our goal remains progress toward lasting peace.”

Officials at the center, who declined to be named, said their main mission is to monitor the implementation of Trump’s 20-point plan, ensure compliance with the ceasefire, and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

They explained that monitoring is carried out through open-source information, including social media and various news outlets.

Access to the facility is restricted to those holding special permits.

In one section of the hall, a printed copy of Trump’s plan is displayed on large boards beside the US flag, while several unarmed US soldiers are stationed across the room performing various coordination tasks.

Israel is represented at the center by Maj. Gen. Yaki Dolf, while the US side is led by Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, under the supervision of Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command.

On Wednesday, Cooper said in a statement that around 200 US personnel specializing in transport, security, logistics, and engineering had established the CMCC in Kiryat Gat.

The statement noted that the center “will not deploy into Gaza but will instead help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts into Gaza.”

“Over the next two weeks, U.S. personnel will integrate representatives from partner nations, non-governmental organizations, international institutions, and the private sector as they arrive to the coordination center,” Cooper added.