The location remained secret until the last minute. In this isolated industrial zone of Kiryat Gat, almost no journalists have yet entered. However, it is here that the future of Gaza is being prepared. Under the winter sun of the Negev, between a few sparse palm trees, stands a massive blockhouse with a blue facade. Behind these walls: the CMCC, Civil-Military Coordination Center. Placed under direct supervision of the American army, the structure coordinates the integration of Donald Trump’s twenty-point peace plan, which notably provides for the deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza.
“U.S. Central Command, Centcom, in conjunction with the Israeli military, met to determine the most professional way to achieve this oobjective. Thematic working groups were thus formed to implement the plan as formulated by Donald Trump.a senior officer in the IDF’s international cooperation division explains to JDNews. In this device, Israel takes a secondary role, behind the United States.
Between 400 and 500 people are active here day and night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to give shape to what Gaza could become from here “two to five years”according to an American officer. One thing is certain: no other place in the world concentrates so many soldiers engaged in the same mission. Inside the building, the Israelis occupy the first floor, the Americans the third. JDNews accesses the second level, a crossroads for foreign delegations made up of military personnel, NGO representatives and diplomats.
Around thirty nations participate in the system
Alongside the United States and Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Australia, France, Spain… Around thirty nations are participating in the system. Some play a key role: Egypt, whose border with Gaza and regional influence play a determining role; THE United Arab Emirates, very invested in discussions and reconstruction efforts; finally, Jordan, which is involved in the logistical coordination of certain humanitarian aid flows. Under a huge converted hangar, an artificial lawn covers the ground. In the background, giant screens project detailed maps and aerial views of the Gaza Strip. Formal ban on photography: the site cultivates opacity.
The screens continuously broadcast real-time situation updates, social media feeds, images of humanitarian convoys and reports on urgent needs for food, water and medicine. No Palestinian representative is participating in the work, any more than the Turks or the Qataris. Here, Israeli officers stand back, while the Americans conduct operations.
The system is based on six working groups, each responsible for a specific area and working to develop the Trump’s political plan into an operational roadmap. The first, dedicated to humanitarian aid, organizes and secures the entry of aid into Gaza: 4,200 trucks must cross the enclave every week. The second group, “Infrastructure and Engineering”plans the reconstruction of the territory. Roads, electrical networks, water, sewers, public buildings, housing: he designs their architecture. The third group, devoted to civil governance, undoubtedly concerns the most sensitive issue.
He is working to rebuild a functional authority – education, health, justice, administration – and is working on the composition of the future government of Gaza, in connection with the “Peace Council” set up by Donald Trump and placed under the supervision of Nickolay Mladenov, former Bulgarian Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs. Gathered in Egypt, the fifteen Palestinian personalities with a technocratic profile develop their roadmap, identify the challenges awaiting them and examine the concrete conditions for implementing their program. Their work is carried out both autonomously and in close coordination with the Peace Council.
On a whiteboard, a multitude of names written by hand outline the possible future Palestinian administration, called NCAG for National Committee for the Administration of Gaza. Dr Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath appears as favorite for the presidency. Adnan Abu Warda as Minister of Justice. Bashir Al-Rayes for Finance. Dr Jabr al-Daour for Education. Ayed Abu Ramadan for Economy, Commerce and Industry. Dr Ayed Yaghi for Health. Other portfolios also include: water, agriculture, energy, social affairs, gender equality, religious affairs, communication. According to the group coordinator, these personalities “were chosen by the Americans and would be accepted by Hamas”.
Creating a local font
The visit continues and takes us to the fourth group, dedicated to intelligence and supervised by the armies. Its mission is to provide all teams with a precise understanding of Hamas, the operational reality on the ground and the local balance of power. The fifth focuses on security. He is preparing the architecture of the future security system in Gaza, in particular the creation of a local police force. Where will it be deployed? What will it look like? How will it be armed? Finally, the last group concerns the ISF, the International Stabilization Force, called to be formed before being deployed to Gaza to guarantee the application of the Trump plan, protect civilians and prevent Hamas from extending its control to other sectors of the enclave.
“The Peace Council should officially announce the formation of the ISF and specify the countries that will soon compose it. Maybe on February 19, during their next work meeting”says the Israeli official overseeing the group. On the ground, IDF is positioned today along the “yellow line”military border defined by the mediators, which delimits the “green zone” placed under Israeli control. This perimeter covers 53% of the territory of the Gaza Strip, mainly outside urban areas. Beyond this line, in what the Israeli army refers to as the “red zone”Hamas remains in control. Two million Palestinians live there today. The plan provides, once the conditions are met – notably the dismantling and neutralization of terrorist infrastructures – a gradual transfer of the population towards the “green zone”.
A central question remains: how to concretely disarm Hamas?
Ultimately, the objective would consist of going beyond this territorial division to envisage the emergence of a “new Gaza” unified, without distinction of zones. A central question remains: how to concretely disarm Hamas? “The Peace Council is developing several scenarios. One of them would consist of offering financial compensation to those who agree to surrender their weapons, in exchange for an individual amnesty. Another avenue aims to convince the Palestinian people that the future of Gaza is not terrorism.says a senior American officer. A disarmament plan is thus circulating within the Peace Council. At this stage, it has neither been signed, nor made public, nor formally validated.
In the operations room, facing screens saturated with maps and information flows, Colonel Olivier, an officer in the French air force, talks with his colleagues. France has five representatives on site, three soldiers and two diplomats. “Our role is to guarantee an objective reading, to verify the facts, particularly in conjunction with NGOs, and to transmit a reliable analysis to the authorities in mainland France. We participate daily in meetings devoted to the Gaza stabilization process and the preparatory work for the future international security force”he specifies.
At this stage, France has not committed any personnel to this system. A reservation which is also explained by the absence, for the moment, of a formal mandate proposed by the UNITED STATES for the future stabilization force. In short: work in progress. Still, in light of what we observe here on the ground, the speculations of Rima Hassan and his friends Insubordinatewho dream of rayer Israel of the map, sound hollow and totally above ground.
