Trump Announces Formation of Gaza Peace Council

SadaNews - President Donald Trump announced late Thursday to Friday the formation of a "Peace Council" specifically for Gaza, as outlined in the U.S. plan to end the war in the Palestinian territory, mentioning that with support from Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, a comprehensive disarmament agreement with "Hamas" will be reached.

Trump added: "As the Chairman of the Peace Council, I support the recently appointed Palestinian technocratic government and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, with support from the High Representative of the Council, to administer Gaza during a transitional phase."

In a statement on his platform "Truth Social", Trump said, "It is a great honor for me to announce that the Peace Council has been formed," indicating that he will reveal the list of council members "soon."

He continued: "I can confirm that it is the greatest and most prestigious council ever formed in any time and place."

The formation of the council comes shortly after the announcement of a Palestinian technocratic committee composed of 15 members to manage the Gaza Strip after the war.

The committee will operate under the supervision of the Peace Council, which is expected to be chaired by Trump.

The plan also calls for the deployment of an international stabilization force in the sector and the training of Palestinian police units.

Movement leader Bassem Naeem stated in a statement on Thursday, "The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the U.S. guarantor, and the international community to empower the committee."

The U.S.-backed peace plan for Gaza went into effect on October 10, allowing the return of all hostages held by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and ending the war in the besieged sector.

Ali Shaath, a Palestinian civil engineer, has been chosen to lead the technocratic committee, facing the challenging task of directing the first phase of the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory.

Bulgaria's diplomat Nikolay Mladenov, who served as U.N. envoy for the Middle East peace process from early 2015 to the end of 2020, is expected to lead the field operations of the Peace Council.

According to Axios, among the countries expected to join the council are the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.

According to U.S. envoy for the Middle East, Steve Wheatcroft, the second phase of the plan that came into effect on Wednesday calls for the "reconstruction" of the Gaza Strip.