Trump has formed a “Board of Peace” to administer and reconstruct Gaza, with himself as chair and Tony Blair and Marco Rubio among the founding members. The board will oversee post-war governance, security, and stability, although the future of Gaza’s people remains unclear.
The Trump administration has announced the names of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as founding members of the “Board of Peace” for Gaza. In a statement issued by the White House on Friday, it said that Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will serve as “founding executive members.”
Trump will serve as the chair of the board. He has announced a 20-point plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
The board will temporarily supervise the administration of Gaza and manage its reconstruction efforts.
A private financial institution executive Mark Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and US security adviser Robert Gabriel will also be members of the executive board.
The White House said each member of the board will have a critical responsibility in stabilizing Gaza and ensuring long-term success.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump said the board had been formed, describing it as “the most prestigious board ever, anywhere and at any time.”
The White House added that the names of the remaining board members will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. He led the UK into the Iraq war in 2003 and later served as Middle East envoy on behalf of international powers (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations).
Prior to the board’s announcement, a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee for governing Gaza—the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)—was announced.
This committee will manage Gaza’s regular post-war operations and will be led by Ali Shath, a former deputy minister of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
The White House statement said that former Bulgarian politician and former UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov will work in Gaza as the board’s representative alongside the NCAG.
According to Trump’s announced plan, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) will be deployed in Gaza to train and support the Palestinian police force.
The statement said the force will be led by US Major General Jasper Jeffers, tasked with establishing security, protecting peace, and creating a terrorism-free environment.
The White House also said a separate “Gaza Executive Board” is being formed to assist in governing Gaza.
The US peace plan for Gaza was announced last October and has now entered its second phase.
However, no explanation has yet been provided regarding the future of Gaza and its 2.1 million Palestinian residents.
In the first phase, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, partial withdrawal of Israeli troops, and an increase in humanitarian aid.
Earlier this week, Steve Witkoff said the second phase would involve rebuilding Gaza and fully demilitarizing it, including the disarmament of Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
He said, “The United States expects Hamas to fully comply with its obligations,” including the return of the bodies of all deceased Israeli hostages. He warned that failure to do so would have “grave consequences.”
The ceasefire remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, at least 450 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect. Israel has said three of its soldiers have been killed.
The United Nations says the humanitarian situation in the region remains extremely dire and has stressed the need to ensure the uninterrupted flow of emergency aid supplies.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 people being taken hostage. Subsequently, Israeli attacks on Gaza killed 71,260 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
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