Marco Rubio latest high-level visitor to tour Israel’s US-led coordination centre

Kiryat Gat: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio toured a US-led coordination centre in southern Israel Friday, as the Trump

administration pushed forward with plans to set up an international security force in Gaza and shore up a tenuous ceasefire between

Israel and Hamas.

Rubio was the latest in a series of high-level US officials to visit the civilian military coordination centre and the country.

US Vice President JD Vance was there earlier this week, where he announced its opening, and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, were also in Israel.

Around 200 US troops are working alongside the Israeli military and delegations from other countries at the centre, planning the stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza.

On Friday, an AP reporter saw international personnel there with flags from Cyprus, Greece, France, Germany, Australia and Canada.

Rubio had been expected to name a civilian coordinator who would work alongside a commander

from the US Central Command, but did not make such an announcement during his nearly four-hour visit to the site.

“This is a historic mission ... there’s nothing to model this after, because this has never

happened before. I think we have a lot to be

proud of in the first 10 days, eleven days, twelve days of implementation, where we have faced real

challenges along the way,” said Rubio.agencies