US President announces ‘Gaza Peace Council’

The White House said on January 16 that the members of the founding executive board of the “Gaza Strip Peace Council” are all experienced in the fields of diplomacy, development, infrastructure and economic strategy.

The 7 members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, special envoy Steve Witkoff, real estate investor Jared Kushner, World Bank President Ajay Banga, billionaire Marc Rowan and advisor Robert Gabriel.

The White House affirmed that under the leadership of President Donald Trump, each member of the executive board will be in charge of a specific area to rebuild, aiming for long-term stability for the Gaza Strip.

Establishing the “Gaza Strip Peace Council” is an important step in phase two of the US-backed plan to end the conflict in the strip of land. Mr. Trump on January 15 praised this as “the most wonderful and prestigious council ever established anywhere.”

Previously, the national Gaza management committee consisting of 15 Palestinian technocrats was also established, with the task of taking over the administration of the strip of land during the transition period. Mr. Ali Shaath, a native of Gaza and former deputy minister of the Palestinian Authority, will lead this agency.

Phase one of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip begins on October 10, 2025, including the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and its allies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners captured by Israel. The Israeli army later partially withdrew, but still controlled most of Gaza territory.

The second phase of the agreement will open the process of “complete demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, with a focus on disarming all illegal armed actors”.