Invitations and announcement of participants: developments in the Gaza Peace Council
US officials announced on Thursday that Washington has begun sending invitations to international parties to take part in the international “Peace Council” that will temporarily administer the Gaza Strip.
This step comes as part of US President Donald Trump’s plan aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory.
During a telephone press briefing, the officials said they refrained from disclosing the identities of the invited parties, while confirming that President Trump will personally select the members of the Peace Council, reflecting direct White House oversight of the next phase in Gaza.
This move follows Washington’s announcement of the launch of the second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, despite the fact that some key elements of the first phase have not been fully implemented, according to the officials themselves.
US officials noted that “many countries” will participate in a peacekeeping force in Gaza, to be announced in due course. At the same time, they stressed that Washington is working to encourage Turkey and Israel to rebuild their relations.
They also revealed that major decisions regarding Gaza will be announced at the Davos Forum, adding that the United States will hold talks with Israel about a potential amnesty program that could be offered to Hamas.
The officials added that Washington will also engage in discussions with Hamas regarding the next phase of the plan, which focuses on disarmament, while acknowledging that Israel remains deeply skeptical about the feasibility of this approach.
On Wednesday, US envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
In a post on the social media platform X, Witkoff said: “Today, on behalf of President Trump, we announce the launch of the second phase of the President’s 20-point plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which moves from a ceasefire to disarmament, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.”
He added: “The second phase establishes a transitional Palestinian technocratic administration in Gaza, namely the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and begins the full process of disarmament and reconstruction of Gaza, particularly the disarmament of all unauthorized individuals present there.”
Witkoff emphasized that “the United States expects Hamas to fully honor its commitments, including the immediate return of the remains of the last deceased hostage,” warning that “failure to do so will result in severe consequences.”
He noted that “the first phase delivered unprecedented humanitarian assistance, maintained the ceasefire, and secured the return of all living hostages as well as the remains of 27 out of 28 deceased hostages.”
The US envoy said: “We are deeply grateful to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for their indispensable mediation efforts, which have made all this progress possible so far.”
As part of this phase, Israel is expected to carry out additional withdrawals from approximately 53 percent of the Gaza Strip, while reconstruction is set to begin in the Rafah area in the southern part of the territory.
Palestinian sources said that former UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov is expected to hold a meeting with the National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip at the US embassy in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, possibly on Thursday, upon the arrival of the committee members.
According to Palestinian sources, the committee comprises 15 Palestinian experts, most of whom are originally from Gaza, and is chaired by former Palestinian Deputy Minister of Transport Dr. Ali Shaath.
It is also expected that US President Donald Trump will announce, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week, the formation of the Peace Council under his chairmanship, which will include Arab and Western heads of state and government.
