Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that the U.S. State Department would significantly increase its diplomatic presence at a newly established Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel. This move, he stated, aims to bolster efforts alongside American military officers in monitoring the delicate Gaza cease-fire, as the Trump administration continues to press Israel to uphold the agreement.
Rubio’s visit to the facility in Kiryat Gat marked the second such high-profile visit by top administration officials this week, underscoring the cease-fire’s critical importance.
He expressed a cautiously optimistic outlook, noting, “There’s going to be ups and downs and twists and turns, but I think we have a lot of reason for healthy optimism about the progress that’s being made.”
A consistent stream of senior U.S. officials has traveled to Israel, signaling to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the high priority the cease-fire holds for Washington. President Trump and his team remain concerned that the Israeli leader might withdraw from the agreement.
The two-week-old truce has provided a vital pause in Israel’s devastating conflict in Gaza, a war that has claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives and ravaged much of the territory. The conflict initially erupted following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Despite its fragility, marked by occasional outbreaks of violence, the cease-fire has seen Hamas release 20 live hostages and the remains of 15 deceased captives, while Israel has freed nearly 2,000 imprisoned Palestinians.
Earlier in the week, Vice President JD Vance visited the center, joined by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy who played a key role in negotiating the cease-fire, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, who also contributed to brokering the deal.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. military forces in the Middle East, announced the center’s establishment on the same day. He stated its purpose was “to support stabilization efforts” and confirmed that 200 U.S. troops were involved in setting it up, though emphasized that these soldiers would not be deployed within Gaza itself.
Prior to his flight to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Rubio briefed reporters on the Trump administration’s expanded strategy for the new coordination center.
“We’ll be assigning some career-experienced State Department personnel to sort of be there to help coordinate all these efforts,” he explained. “It’s important, and particularly over the next couple weeks, that we keep the cease-fire together.”
On Friday, Rubio further indicated that allied nations and various non-governmental organizations would also contribute their expertise to the center. He affirmed the United States’ willingness to collaborate with the United Nations on humanitarian aid and other aspects of the broader peace plan.
He also reiterated the Trump administration’s consideration of seeking a United Nations mandate for an international peacekeeping force, to be deployed in at least a portion of Gaza.
“It involves bringing together all the nation-states that are offering to provide personnel and resources,” he elaborated, stressing that participating countries must be ones “that Israel is comfortable with.”
Rubio, however, offered no specific details on the composition or operational framework of such a force. Arab states in the region have shown reluctance to commit troops to Gaza, fearing direct confrontation with Hamas.
The Trump administration has also actively resisted attempts by Israeli politicians to annex the West Bank. Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed a largely symbolic resolution, spearheaded by far-right lawmakers, advocating for the takeover of the occupied territory.
In an interview published by Time magazine shortly after the Knesset vote, President Trump explicitly stated that he would not permit Israel to annex the West Bank.
“We don’t think it’s going to happen,” Rubio affirmed, explaining that annexation would jeopardize the peace process, partly by discouraging regional nations from participation.
Rubio’s busy schedule included a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu at his Jerusalem office Thursday evening, shortly after the Secretary of State arrived in Tel Aviv.
Following this meeting, Rubio revealed that President Trump has designated enforcing the cease-fire as a “top priority,” acknowledging that achieving this goal would involve “substantial obstacles.” The United States remains Israel’s primary source of military assistance, with President Trump having approved significant weapon packages since assuming office in January.
Rubio concluded by announcing his plans to join President Trump in Qatar this weekend for leadership summits in Malaysia and South Korea, with a stop in Japan in between.