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The White House is reportedly developing a plan to appoint former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to head a temporary international authority governing the Gaza Strip, without initial Palestinian Authority involvement, according to Israeli and Arab sources cited by Haaretz newspaper.
A senior Israeli political source told Israeli media outlet Haaretz on Thursday that the plan is "taking shape" with full support from U.S. President Donald Trump, while Israeli officials have not rejected the proposal.
According to Arab sources, the plan envisions establishing an international authority to oversee Gaza's reconstruction and governance for several years, receiving its mandate from the U.N. Security Council and coordinating activities with the Palestinian Authority before eventually transferring control.
"There is concern that Netanyahu will take advantage of this ambiguity to sabotage the PA's involvement in Gaza," an Arab source told Haaretz, noting the plan remains vague regarding the timeline for transferring power to Palestinian authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer reportedly strongly oppose Palestinian Authority rule in Gaza.
During a Tuesday meeting at the UN General Assembly, Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly presented a postwar Gaza plan to Arab and Muslim leaders, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
"The leaders left the meeting with a positive feeling," a White House source said, adding that the plan calls for dialogue between Israel and Palestinians, release of all hostages, and an Israeli commitment not to attack Qatar.
The proposal includes stationing an international force in Gaza to guard the borders and prevent Hamas from regrouping. However, Arab sources interviewed by Haaretz expressed uncertainty about whether countries like Egypt, Jordan, or the UAE would send troops if Israel withdrew.
Some reports indicate Egypt is training several thousand Palestinian soldiers from the West Bank for eventual Gaza security duties, though Egypt's willingness to deploy forces against Hamas directly remains doubtful.
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Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues deteriorating. UNRWA reported that one in three children under age 3 in Gaza has gone without food for the past 24 hours, with many children forced into labor or begging.
World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic disclosed that Gaza's Health Ministry recorded 369 deaths from malnutrition between Jan. 1 and Sept. 12, including 97 children, 77 of them under age 5.
"Gaza city hospitals are experiencing supply shortages and patients are being treated on the floor," Jasarevic said, warning that critical shortages of blood units, components, bags and transfusion sets could force services to close within days without urgent resupply.
Gaza's population of approximately 2.3 million has seen 2 million displaced by Israeli military operations and evacuation orders, with many displaced multiple times, according to local reports.
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