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LAST UPDATE | 16 Jan
DONALD TRUMP HAS announced the formation of a Gaza “Board of Peace,” a key phase two element of a US-backed plan to end the conflict in the Palestinian territory.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, the US President said members of the body will be announced “shortly.”
“I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place,” he said.
The board’s creation comes shortly after the announcement of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee, charged with managing the day-to-day governance of Gaza.
The committee will work under the supervision of the Board of Peace, which Trump said he will lead as its chair.
There has been ongoing speculation that former British prime minister Tony Blair would be a member of the board.
Blair, who served as a Middle East envoy after leaving the role of prime minister in 2007, took part in a meeting in the White House in August about plans for the region.
However, Politico is reporting that he will not be on the Board of Peace, but rather on an executive committee attached to the body alongside US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
It also claims that the Board of Peace is expected to consist of the heads of government of at least nine countries, including the US, UK, Germany, the UAE and Jordan.
The 20-point US plan also calls for the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force to help secure Gaza and train vetted Palestinian police units.
“The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee,” Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, said in a statement yesterday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee has welcomed the start of the second phase of the peace plan, describing it as a “long-awaited moment of hope” after months of suffering.
Having recently visited the region, she said communities she met were clear about the need for a genuine political pathway forward, including respect for Palestinians’ right to self-governance.
McEntee praised the role of the United States, Egypt, Türkiye and Qatar in advancing the plan and said negotiations must now continue in good faith.
“I have just returned from the region, where I spoke directly with leaders and communities living with the daily reality of this conflict. Above all else, they spoke about the need for a genuine political pathway forward,” McEntee said.
For them, this next step is what they have been waiting for. Now is the time for it to be implemented in full and in a way that respects the Palestinian people’s right to self-governance.
McEntee warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains extremely fragile and said aid is still not reaching people at the scale required.*
Ireland, she said, will continue to support humanitarian efforts and work with partners towards a just and lasting two-State solution.
The plan, which first came into force on 10 October, saw the return of all the hostages held by Hamas and an end to the large-scale bombing of Gaza by Israel.
While the plan’s second phase is now underway, it is clouded by ongoing aid shortages and violence. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israeli forces have killed 451 people since the ceasefire ostensibly took effect.
For Palestinians, the central issue remains Israel’s full military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip – a step included in the plan’s framework, but for which no detailed timetable has been announced.
Hamas, meanwhile, has refused to publicly commit to a full disarmament, a non-negotiable demand from Israel.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Steve Witkoff said Washington expects Hamas to “comply fully with its obligations.”
Hamas is preparing to hold internal elections to rebuild its leadership, which has been decimated by Israeli killings during the conflict.
That vote is expected “in the first months of 2026,” a Hamas leader told AFP Monday.
Trump shared Witkoff’s post yesterday, adding “These Palestinian leaders are unwaveringly committed to a PEACEFUL future!” in reference to the transitional government he selects.
“With the support of Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, we will secure a COMPREHENSIVE Demilitarization Agreement with Hamas, including the surrender of ALL weapons, and the dismantling of EVERY tunnel,” he said.
*The Journal recently visited a warehouse in Jordan full of food donations intended to reach people who are starving in Gaza, but Israel closed the Government to Government aid route that was functioning between Jordan and the Israeli authorities at the King Hussein Bridge into Gaza.
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