U.S. changes leadership of Gaza mission amid uncertainty over role

U.S. leadership shifts in Gaza mission amid uncertainty as replacements remain undisclosed and European nations reassess involvement.

The U.S. military and civilian leaders of Washington’s flagship mission for Gaza are stepping aside, and their replacements ‍have yet to be made public, diplomats said, as European countries rethink their presence ​in the initiative to shape post-war Gaza.

The top military officer ‌at the Civil-Military Command Centre, a three-star lieutenant general, ​is expected to be replaced by a U.S. commander of a lower rank, while the top civilian has returned to his job as U.S. Ambassador to Yemen.

The CMCC was set up in October in the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, and is meant to supervise the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, facilitate the ​entry of aid and shape Gaza policy.

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The overhaul in ⁠its leadership comes amid what western officials and diplomats say is growing uncertainty over the body’s future role, as Trump pursues the next phase of his plan including by setting up ​a “Board of Peace” of ⁠foreign dignitaries to supervise Gaza policy.

Lieutenant-General Patrick Frank, the top commander of U.S. Army forces in the Middle East, has been leading the CMCC in southern Israel since it was established. The U.S. military announced last ‌month that he was being promoted to deputy head of U.S. ‌Central Command.