An unidentified administration official said U.S. Department of State personnel will be assigned to a newly established civilian-military coordination center in the Middle East to help hold a ceasefire and begin building an international security and stabilization effort in Gaza.

The official said the vice president and other senior administration figures have been in the region and that the administration will announce, “tomorrow about who that is.” The official added, “we'll have somebody there as admiral Cooper's counterpart at state, an experienced, career foreign service officer that is highly regarded, and we'll be there tomorrow and and the next day on Friday to to launch that.”

The announcement comes as the administration seeks international contributions of personnel, money and training to stabilize Gaza after the recent conflict. “It's important in particular in the next couple of weeks that we keep the ceasefire together,” the official said, adding that “the first couple weeks are gonna be key.” The official said a civilian-military coordination center is “key to holding this all together.”

Why it matters: the official framed the effort as the initial phase in what could become a longer, multi-step international mission that may need an international mandate. “So there's a lot of work to be done, but we certainly, wanted to make sure that, we were there and and ensuring that we had the right people in place at the coordination center,” the official said. The administration described the immediate period — roughly the first seven to 10 days — as a window for senior-level officials on the ground to help ensure the effort holds.

Officials discussed practical steps that must be decided before forces or trainers can be deployed, including life support, command arrangements and rules of engagement. “You gotta have life support, where they're gonna live, how How they gonna get there? How are you gonna what is their mandate? Who's gonna how's it how's that force gonna be commanded? What are they allowed to do? What are they not allowed to do?” the official said.

The official said international partners have offered training and money and that some countries may require an international mandate to send forces. He also said the administration wants Palestinian civil authorities and non-Hamas Palestinian police in Gaza eventually, but emphasized the steps required: vetting, training and building infrastructure. “You don't just hire people, police officers. You gotta vet them. You gotta train them. You have to make sure that the infrastructure is in place,” the official said.

Speakers at the briefing also raised potential risks to the deal, including a Knesset vote on possible West Bank annexation and violence by settlers; the official said such moves “might be counterproductive” and said the region will pose “challenges every single day.” On Hamas, the official called the group a “terrorist organization” and described its actions inside Gaza as a further reason the administration is seeking alternatives to Hamas control.

The official said he planned to visit the coordination center on Friday to “get a real sense of how it's working” and to ensure the right people are in place. The administration said a personnel announcement was expected the following day.