By Alexander Cornwell

Tel Aviv, May 1 (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to close a U.S. military-run facility near the Gaza Strip, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Critics argue that the center failed in its mission to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and to promote the flow of aid to the besieged Palestinians.

The closure of Israel’s civil-military coordination center would be the latest blow to Trump’s Gaza plan, which has already been undermined by repeated Israeli attacks since the agreed truce took effect in October, as well as Hamas’s refusal to lay down its arms.

Diplomats and officials said the move, which had not been previously reported, highlights the difficulties facing U.S. efforts to oversee the truce and coordinate aid at a time when Israel controls more Gaza territory and Hamas tightens its grip on the areas under its control.

This move may increase anxiety among Washington's allies, whom Trump encouraged to deploy personnel to the Civil-Military Coordination Center and to allocate funds for his Gaza reconstruction plan, which has been effectively suspended since the United States launched its joint war with Israel against Iran.

* Reluctance to comment on the center's future

Seven diplomats familiar with the operations of the US-led center said it will soon be closed and its aid and monitoring responsibilities will be handed over to an international security mission scheduled to be deployed in Gaza under US leadership.

US officials privately described the move as a sweeping overhaul, but diplomats said it would effectively close the center once the International Stabilization Force took over.

A diplomat familiar with the U.S. plan said the number of American troops serving in the restructured International Stabilization Force would decrease from approximately 190 to 40. The diplomats added that the United States would seek to replace these troops with civilian personnel from other countries. All sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Diplomats say the Civil-Military Coordination Centre lacks the powers to enforce a ceasefire or ensure aid access, making it unclear whether its integration into the international stabilization force would have a significant practical impact on the ground.

An official with the Peace Council, which Trump created to oversee Gaza policies, declined to comment on the future of the Civil-Military Coordination Center, but said the center plays a "crucial role in ensuring aid delivery and coordinating efforts" and pushing Trump's plan forward.

The White House and the U.S. military command in the Middle East referred requests for comment to the Peace Council.

Two sources said that once the Civil-Military Coordination Center is integrated into the International Stabilization Force, its name is expected to be changed to the International Center for Gaza Support. The center will likely be led by U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, the White House-appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force.

The international stabilization force was supposed to deploy its personnel immediately to Gaza to establish control and maintain security. However, this has not yet happened, as only a few countries have pledged to send troops without committing to any specific security role.

Washington said it would not deploy US troops to Gaza.

However, the International Stabilization Force has established a walled annex within the Civil-Military Coordination Center and operates from a warehouse in southern Israel. Access to the annex is strictly controlled by US forces, who, according to three sources, regularly deny entry to representatives of allied nations.

Israeli attacks continue

The creation of the Civil-Military Coordination Center was a key element of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which also aimed to allow for the reconstruction of the sector that Israel had devastated during two years of fighting.

Dozens of countries, including Germany, France, Britain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, sent people to the center, including military planners and intelligence officials, in an attempt to influence discussions about the future of Gaza.

But as Israel continues its attacks and pushes the ceasefire line with Hamas deeper into Gaza, diplomats say the momentum of the Civil-Military Coordination Center has faded. Hamas has resumed governing the coastal strip of Gaza it controls.

One diplomat said some countries now send representatives only once a month. Another said only a handful of countries attend regularly.

Israel says its attacks in Gaza are aimed at stopping threats from Hamas or those approaching the ceasefire line. Palestinians say it is a pretext for annexing more Gaza territory in an attempt to force them out of the land they seek for a future Palestinian state.

More than 800 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire, which was intended to end the war that began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, went into effect.

During the war, Israel turned large areas of the Gaza Strip into rubble, displaced the majority of its population, and destroyed the infrastructure necessary for water and electricity supplies and sanitation.

The Civil-Military Coordination Center's objective is to help ensure aid reaches Palestinians in need. Diplomats say that aid levels have not yet increased significantly despite the influx of commercial goods into Gaza, as Israel prohibits many items it claims may have dual military and civilian uses.

These materials include poles needed to erect tents in camps for displaced people and heavy machinery used to remove rubble.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the military agency that controls access to Gaza, stated that 80 percent of the trucks entering Gaza daily carry commercial goods purchased in Israel with the aim of increasing relief supplies.

A Peace Council official said that Gaza ultimately needs what he called "a sustainable civilian administration in order to see a real transformation away from years of dependence on aid and from the periods of violence that have overshadowed its past."