Former US envoy to Yemen named civilian lead for Gaza ceasefire coordination center

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Former US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin has been appointed as the civilian lead of the Civil-Military Coordination Center, which was established to support the implementation of President Donald Trump’s 20-Point Gaza plan, the State Department announced Friday.

Fagin, a career diplomat who has served as US ambassador to Yemen since 2022, will coordinate American and partner efforts alongside military officers to maintain the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who toured the center Friday in Kiryat Gat, 56 kilometers (34.7 miles) south of Israel's capital, Tel Aviv, said the center reflected “healthy optimism” about progress in enforcing the truce.

Senior US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, have visited the site this week to signal Washington’s commitment to the deal.

The first phase of Trump’s 20-point Gaza ceasefire deal was reached on Oct. 10.

Phase one includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Since October 2023, Israel's genocidal war has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.