U.S. Launches Phase Two Gaza Plan, Sends Invitations to ‘Board of Peace’

The Trump administration formally launched Phase Two of its Gaza plan on Wednesday, confirming that invitations were sent to potential members of an international “Board of Peace” tasked with overseeing the territory’s postwar transition.

Phase One has been shaken by continued Israeli military activity, delays in reopening border crossings, and Hamas’s failure to return the remains of the final fallen Israeli hostage still held in Gaza. Despite those gaps, Washington and its mediator partners decided to move ahead with the next phase.

Announcing the move, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the next stage of the plan shifts the focus from ceasefire arrangements to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction, even as key elements of Phase One remain unresolved. He said Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), which will consist of 15 Palestinian technocrats responsible for running day-to-day civilian needs such as sanitation, infrastructure, education, health services, and basic economic coordination, without holding sovereign authority or control over armed forces.

Witkoff said Phase Two also begins “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” stressing that Hamas is expected to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage, Ran Gvili. He warned that failure to do so would bring serious consequences.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Wednesday evening with Gvili’s parents, Itzik and Talik Gvili, following Witkoff’s announcement. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu told the family that “Ran’s return is a top priority” and stressed that “the declaratory move regarding the establishment of a technocratic committee will not affect the efforts to return Ran for a Jewish burial.”

Talik Gvili said publicly that “there will be no IDF withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed, no construction, and no reconstruction,” adding that “nothing that happens will affect the demand to return Rani.” Israel has cited Gvili’s continued captivity as the reason it has not reopened the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Under the U.S. plan, the technocratic committee will operate under the supervision of an international Board of Peace, chaired by President Donald Trump. A U.S. official briefing reporters said invitations to potential board members were sent Wednesday, though participating countries were not disclosed. Further announcements are expected when Trump attends the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

Former U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov is expected to serve as the board’s representative on the ground, acting as a liaison between the international panel and the Palestinian technocratic committee.

A central unresolved issue remains security. Trump’s plan calls for the deployment of an International Stabilization Force to support and train vetted Palestinian police, but the U.S. has not announced which countries would contribute troops. American officials say discussions are ongoing, but diplomats and regional sources point to reluctance by potential contributors, citing fears of being perceived as an occupying force and concerns over Hamas’s remaining capabilities.

Israeli security officials have indicated conditional acceptance of the technocratic committee, saying the figures involved are familiar, not considered extreme, and similar to Palestinian Authority officials Israel already works with. They stressed that no withdrawal from current Israeli positions is expected in the near term and that any reconstruction would begin with a limited pilot project in Rafah.

The Palestinian Authority and regional mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey welcomed the formation of the committee. Israel, however, has made clear that Phase Two’s implementation will remain tightly bound to demilitarization and the return of Ran Gvili, with no progress allowed to bypass that demand.