What's happened
As of November 11, 2025, the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) has fully assumed primary control over humanitarian aid into Gaza, sidelining Israel's previous dominant role. The CMCC, involving over 40 countries, aims to improve aid flow amid ongoing restrictions and security concerns. Meanwhile, Cornell University agreed to a $60 million settlement with the US government to restore federal funding amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations, affirming academic freedom but maintaining diversity programs.
What's behind the headline?
US Shift in Gaza Aid Control
The transfer of primary aid oversight from Israel to the US-led CMCC marks a significant geopolitical shift in Gaza's humanitarian landscape. While Israel remains involved in policy and monitoring, the CMCC's leadership signals increased internationalization and US strategic influence in the region. This move aims to address criticisms of Israeli restrictions on aid and improve transparency, though operational challenges persist, including slow decision-making and NGO restrictions.
Cornell's Controversial Settlement
Cornell's $60 million agreement with the US government reflects broader tensions between federal authorities and elite universities over civil rights enforcement and ideological policies. The deal restores over $250 million in research funding but stops short of dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, which critics argue foster division. The university's rebranding of DEI offices and the president's dismissive comments about federal guidelines suggest ongoing resistance to substantive change.
Broader Implications
The CMCC's multinational composition and planned International Stabilization Force (ISF) underscore US ambitions to stabilize Gaza and reshape regional dynamics, though Arab states remain cautious about troop contributions. Cornell's settlement fits into a pattern of federal pressure on academia to align with conservative policy goals, raising questions about academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
Forecast
The CMCC will likely face continued operational hurdles balancing aid delivery with security concerns and political sensitivities. Cornell's DEI programs may persist under new guises, with federal oversight limited by institutional pushback. Both developments highlight the complex interplay of politics, security, and ideology shaping US influence domestically and abroad.
What the papers say
The Times of Israel reveals that the US has become the prime decision-maker at the CMCC, relegating Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories to a contractor role, confirming a Washington Post report. The Times also details plans for a 20,000-troop International Stabilization Force to take over Gaza, pending UN approval, with Trump asserting troop contributions from multiple countries despite Arab diplomats' reservations.
The New Arab highlights the CMCC's multinational nature, including over 40 countries, and notes ongoing Israeli restrictions on NGO aid deliveries. It quotes humanitarian workers and officials expressing cautious optimism about US involvement but also concerns over slow decision-making and aid bottlenecks.
Cornell's settlement is covered extensively by AP News, The Independent, and the New York Times. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff emphasizes the restoration of academic freedom and federal funding, while critics, including the university's American Association of University Professors chapter, warn the deal threatens academic freedom and only partially addresses DEI concerns. The NY Post's Patrick Reilly underscores the financial scale of the deal relative to Cornell's budget and the university's commitment to autonomy.
Reuters and The New Arab report on aid challenges in Gaza, including looting allegations and Israeli-imposed restrictions, with UN and humanitarian groups noting improvements but ongoing obstacles. The US Central Command's drone monitoring of aid distribution is a new development, signaling increased US operational presence.
Together, these sources provide a multifaceted view of shifting US roles in Gaza aid coordination and the contentious federal-university relationship exemplified by Cornell's settlement.
How we got here
Following a devastating two-year war triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack, a ceasefire brokered under US President Donald Trump's plan paused hostilities. The US established the CMCC in October 2025 to coordinate aid and stabilization in Gaza, previously overseen mainly by Israel. Concurrently, Cornell faced federal scrutiny over alleged antisemitism and discrimination, leading to a funding freeze and a recent settlement restoring research grants.
Go deeper
- How will the CMCC improve humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza?
- What are the implications of Cornell's settlement for academic freedom?
- Which countries are contributing troops to the proposed Gaza stabilization force?
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Cornell University is a private and statutory Ivy League research university in Ithaca, New York. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, the university was intended to teach and make contributions in all fields of knowledge—from the c
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
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