US President Donald Trump has appointed himself as chairman of a high-powered committee constituted to oversee the reconstruction and governance of Gaza.
In a statement issued late on Friday, the US administration confirmed the formation of a ‘Board of Peace’, which is a central pillar to President Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza.
The board’s responsibilities include “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation”, the statement said.
Trump has also nominated other members to the board, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the President’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, along with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, Apollo Global Management CEO, Marc Rowan, World Bank Group President, Ajay Banga, and Deputy National Security Adviser, Robert Gabriel.
The most controversial name in the list is perhaps that of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, a key ally of the US during the 2003 Iraq invasion. Also likely to draw scrutiny is Jared Kushner, whom Hamas and mediators view as a pro-Israel lobbying figure.
The announcement comes amidst the advancement of phase two of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which follows an initial ceasefire and prisoner-swap agreement reached in early October.
Phase two will focus on the demilitarisation of Hamas and the establishment of a new National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), to be led by Palestinian technocrat, Dr Ali Sha’ath. It held its first meeting in Cairo on Thursday.
The White House described Sha’ath as “widely respected for his pragmatic, technocratic leadership”.
Meanwhile, a separate liaison committee is working on the ground to establish a workable link between Hamas and Washington. This Trump-nominated committee includes Bulgarian diplomat, Nickolay Mladenov, as the High Representative for the Middle East, along with regional diplomats such as Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, and Qatari diplomat, Ali Al Thawadi.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, mostly civilians, including children and women, with more than 150,000 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which the UN considers to be a credible source.
Although a ceasefire has largely held since October, authorities report over 450 fatalities from sporadic violence in the enclave since the truce began on 10 October.
