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U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to become a founding member of the Board of Peace, responsible for ensuring security and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.
"The United Nations Security Council, through Resolution 2803, decided to support the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. Within this framework, the Board of Peace and its organs responsible for ensuring security and reconstruction in Gaza are being established.
On Jan. 16, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump, in his capacity as founding chairman of the Board of Peace, sent a letter inviting our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to join the Board of Peace as a founding member," Head of Communications for the Republic of Türkiye Burhanettin Duran stated on X on Saturday.
The White House on Friday announced members of the Gaza Strip's Board of Peace alongside the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza as part of Trump's 20-point plan to end Israel's war on the territory.
The NCAG will be led by Dr. Ali Sha'ath, a former Palestinian deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority. The White House described Sha'ath as "a widely respected technocratic leader who will oversee the restoration of public services, rebuild civil institutions, and stabilize daily life in Gaza, while laying the foundation for long-term governance."
An executive board to support governance and services will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy, veteran Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, UAE-based Bulgarian diplomat and former U.N. envoy Nickolay Mladenov, Cypriot-Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay and Dutch politician Sigrid Kaag.
The Executive Board guiding the Board of Peace will be chaired by Trump. Members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank Group head Ajay Banga and U.S. political adviser Robert Gabriel.
Mladenov will serve as High Representative for Gaza, linking the Board of Peace with the NCAG. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers will command the International Stabilization Force. The U.S. also appointed Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum as senior advisers to oversee day-to-day strategy and operations.
More Executive Board and Gaza Executive Board members will be announced in the coming weeks, the statement added.
The announcement came after Witkoff announced on Wednesday the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, saying the focus will shift to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction.
The ceasefire took effect in October. Its first phase halted the war, allowed a partial Israeli withdrawal, facilitated the exchange of Israeli hostages for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israel and permitted limited humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The second phase calls for a full Israeli withdrawal, disarmament of Hamas, deployment of an International Stabilization Force and the establishment of a Palestinian technocratic committee to temporarily govern Gaza.
The death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 71,548, the Gaza Health Ministry reported. The ministry said one more Palestinian was killed and six were injured in the last 24 hours.
Since the ceasefire took effect, 464 people have been killed and 1,275 injured in Israeli attacks, according to the ministry. The number of injured people since October 2023 has reached 171,353.
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