New board, leadership team formed to oversee Gaza

President Donald Trump said Thursday that a “Board of Peace for Gaza" was formed as part of the second stage of Gaza and Israel’s ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States. Trump will take the helm of the board as chairman, he said in a post on social media. The board is set to serve as an international oversight body over the newly established transitional leadership in Gaza. This leadership, which Special Envoy Steve Witkoff described as a technocratic committee or group of technical experts, will serve as the day-to-day governance of Gaza.

Who will be part of the technocratic committee? Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister of transportation in the Palestinian Authority, will lead the committee, according to a joint statement from Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt. Additionally, all members of the new leadership committee are from Gaza.

Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt welcomed the formation of the new committee and said it would help strengthen the stability of the region. Trump said the Palestinian leaders in this committee are unwaveringly committed to a peaceful future.

What else is included in the next stage of the peace plan? Trump said the next stage included Hamas surrendering all of its weapons, dismantling every tunnel, and proceeding without delay to demilitarization. Witkoff added that the United States expects Hamas to return the body of the final Israeli hostage that is still in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media that receiving the body remains his top priority.

While conflict has decreased significantly following the ceasefire agreement, the truce remains fragile. However, Trump noted the agreement has delivered record levels of humanitarian aid to the area, with the UN saying last week that all basic food needs in Gaza were met for the first time since 2023.

Dig deeper: Read Travis K. Kircher’s Q&A with Ambassador Mike Huckabee on the prospects of peace in Israel.