KIRYAT GAT, Israel: The United States named a veteran diplomat on Friday as the civilian lead in a body monitoring the Gaza ceasefire, seeking to push forward a durable end to the war.
The State Department said that Steve Fagin, a career diplomat, will work alongside US Army Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, the military head already appointed to the hub set up after the October 10 ceasefire.
The Civil-Military Coordination Center was set up in southern Israel on October 17 to observe the ceasefire for any violations and handle logistics including aid delivery into war-ravaged Gaza.
Some 200 US troops were sent to the center, set up in a rented warehouse, where they work with soldiers from Israel and European countries, representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and personnel from the United Nations and aid groups.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the site, which is a short drive from Gaza, on Friday and called it a “historic” undertaking.
“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,” Rubio said.
Fagin has long experience in the Middle East.
He has served since 2022 as ambassador to Yemen, managing relations at a turbulent time as the United States bombed Houthi rebels that have lobbed missiles at Israel in professed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
And it is just the latest time Fagin has taken a major concurrent position.
He served for three months until recently as the top US diplomat in Baghdad while remaining ambassador to Yemen, a job in which he has been based primarily in Saudi Arabia.