Steven Fagin to lead new Gaza aid center

The US State Department has named a veteran diplomat to lead a newly formed organization to coordinate peace efforts and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. In a statement on Friday (October 24), the US State Department said that Steven Fagin, a career US Foreign Service officer and current ambassador to Yemen, will be the civilian head of the “Civil-Military Coordination Center.”

The center will help implement the president’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza and expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently visited the coordination center in southern Israel. He announced that about 200 US military personnel are already deployed there and that more diplomats will join soon.

The statement said, “Ambassador Steven Fagin will lead the civilian leadership of the Gaza Coordination Center, which is supporting the implementation of the President’s 20-point peace plan.” The center was officially launched this week by the US Central Command. Its military head is Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, who is the commander of US Army Central.

Steven Fagin has served as the US ambassador to Yemen since 2022. However, he has been serving from outside the country because Washington does not recognize the Houthi-controlled government.

Source: Reuters