Israel is considering expelling British and other European officials from the U.S.-led International Gaza Support Center in Kiryat Gat, according to reports published in late August 2026. The deliberations follow diplomatic friction over British policy, European criticism of West Bank settlement expansion, and Israel’s recent expulsion of Dutch representatives.
Tension at the Kiryat Gat Coordination Center
The multinational headquarters at the center of the diplomatic friction is the International Gaza Support Center (IGSC), formerly known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center, located in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel. Established under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework to monitor post-war arrangements, humanitarian aid, and stabilization, the facility brings together military officers and diplomats from roughly 50 countries and international organizations alongside the Israel Defense Forces.
Britain maintains the second-largest delegation at the headquarters, trailing only the United States, with a British officer serving as deputy to the American general commanding the force. Yet that prominent footprint now appears vulnerable. Government deliberations in recent weeks have weighed removing the United Kingdom entirely from the multinational hub, as well as considering similar measures against Italy and Germany, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the Financial Times.
Expulsions Over West Bank Boycotts and Diplomatic Stances
The discussions regarding British personnel do not occur in a vacuum. They follow immediate operational consequences meted out to other European governments over trade restrictions and settlement policies. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the expulsion of Dutch representatives from the coordination center following the Netherlands’ legislation to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Dutch officials were instructed to leave Israel within a week.
“Israel will not allow measures to be taken against it without a response.”
Gideon Sa’ar, Foreign Minister
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the decision, declaring that Israel would not stay silent toward those who attack the country. The move mirrors an earlier incident in which Israel expelled Spanish representatives from the IGSC, citing what Sa’ar termed Madrid’s obsessive anti-Israel bias. Officials indicated that similar retaliation against Britain’s hardening diplomatic line was not entirely unexpected by London insiders.
Deteriorating Relations and the E-1 Settlement Dispute
Relations between Israel and its long-standing European allies have frayed over multiple fronts, including ongoing settler violence in the West Bank and broader settlement expansion. Tensions deepened further when the U.K., Germany, Italy, and nearly 20 other countries, alongside the European Commission, issued a joint letter criticizing Israel’s plan to advance construction tenders for the E-1 settlement project near Jerusalem. Critics argue the project could sever territorial continuity in the West Bank and undermine prospects for a Palestinian state.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that Britain would not accept the destruction of the two-state solution, prompting a sharp rebuke from Sa’ar, who asserted that Britain should not lecture Israel on where its people may live. Concurrently, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has faced pressure from more than 140 lawmakers to push forward with a ban on settlement goods.
Despite the brewing confrontation, British officials appeared largely unconcerned about the prospect of eviction, while Italian government officials dismissed the possibility of Italy and Germany being ejected. An Israeli official told the Financial Times simply that Israel maintains good relations with Germany and Italy, while denying separate reports that German and Italian ejections had been actively planned.
Sovereignty Questions and the Board of Peace
A procedural question remains over what formal authority is required to alter the composition of the multinational headquarters. Two sources familiar with the matter told reporters that removing additional countries could require approval from the U.S.-led Board of Peace, the body established by U.S. President Donald Trump to oversee Gaza’s post-war transition. A third source disputed that interpretation, arguing that Israel retains full sovereign authority to decide who enters and remains within its territory.
A spokesperson for the Board of Peace confirmed that the body remains engaged with Israeli counterparts on maintaining multinational coordination and advancing Trump’s peace plan.
