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United States President Donald Trump announced Thursday the formation of a so-called “Board of Peace” for the Gaza Strip, saying it would oversee the territory’s transition following Israel’s war on Gaza.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that the Board of Peace has been formed,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. He said the members of the board would be announced shortly, describing it as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled.”
Trump said he would serve as chairman of the board, which will supervise a newly appointed Palestinian technocratic administration tasked with governing Gaza during a transitional period.
In a separate post, the U.S. president said the next phase of his plan "officially" began.
Trump said he is backing a Palestinian technocratic body called the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which would manage day-to-day governance under the supervision of the Board of Peace and its high representative.
“These Palestinian leaders are unwaveringly committed to a PEACEFUL future,” Trump said.
The announcement followed remarks Wednesday by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who said the second phase of a ceasefire agreement had officially begun as part of Trump’s previously announced 20-point plan to end the war.
Trump said the plan envisions a comprehensive demilitarization agreement with Hamas, to be supported by Egypt, Türkiye and Qatar.
Under the proposal, Hamas would be required to surrender all weapons and dismantle its tunnel network.
“Hamas must immediately honor its commitments,” Trump said, adding that the group could comply “the easy way, or the hard way.”
The plan also calls for the deployment of an international stabilization force to help secure Gaza and train vetted Palestinian police units.
“The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee,” Hamas official Bassem Naim said in a statement Thursday.
Trump first unveiled his 20-point plan in September, outlining a ceasefire framework that includes the release of Israeli captives, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, the formation of a technocratic administration and the deployment of an international force, alongside demands for Hamas to disarm.
Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 71,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,300, according to Gaza health authorities.
Despite a ceasefire that began Oct. 10, Israeli attacks have continued. Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said at least 451 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded since the ceasefire took effect.
For Palestinians, a central unresolved issue remains Israel’s full military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a step included in the plan’s framework but for which no detailed timetable has been announced.
Hamas has so far refused to publicly commit to full disarmament, a key demand from Israel. Witkoff said Wednesday that Washington expects the group to “comply fully with its obligations.”
Hamas is meanwhile preparing internal elections to rebuild its leadership, which has been heavily weakened by Israeli strikes. A Hamas official told AFP that the vote is expected in the first months of 2026.
Israeli forces continue to control large parts of northern Gaza and buffer zones in the south and east, amounting to nearly half of the enclave, according to Palestinian officials.
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