U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Thursday, January 15th the formation of a Gaza Board of Peace, marking a key second phase of the U.S.-backed plan to end the war in Gaza. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the names of the members of the board will be made public “shortly” and described it as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place.”
The creation of the board comes after the creation of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee, which will manage the day-to-day governance of post-war Gaza. This committee will operate under the supervision of the Board of Peace, which Trump is expected to chair.
The plan also includes the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force to help secure Gaza and train vetted Palestinian police units.
The U.S.-backed Gaza peace plan first came into effect on October 10th, facilitating the return of all hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas and bringing an end to much of the fighting.
With the second phase now underway, unresolved issues remain, as Hamas has refused to publicly commit to full disarmament, a non-negotiable demand from Israel.
