The White House on Friday announced the composition of the “Board of Peace” tasked with implementing President Trump’s 20-point peace plan and steering Gaza’s post-war reconstruction.
The body, headed by Trump, will also include three of his closest diplomatic advisers — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — along with former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga and billionaire investors Robert Gabriel and Marc Rowan.
Trump this week announced the start of Phase 2 of his peace plan, which requires Hamas to disarm and Israel to draw back its troops from much of the Gaza Strip. While Hamas has said it will cede control to a technocratic government, it has shown no signs of disarming since a ceasefire was announced in October.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), which would effectively serve as the day-to-day administrator of the territory, is headed by Ali Shaath, a Palestinian engineer and former minister for the Palestinian Authority.
Shaath will work with the Gaza Executive Board, which includes members of the Board of Peace and additional members.
Along with Witkoff, Kushner, Blair and Rowan, the Executive Board includes: Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s minister of foreign affairs; Ali Al-Thawadi, a Qatari powerbroker who played a key role in negotiating the peace deal; Hassan Rashad, Egypt’s intelligence chief; Reem Al Hashimy, the Emirati Minister of State for International Cooperation; Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat who previously served as U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process; Yakir Gabay, a Cypriot-Israeli real estate magnate; and Sigrid Kaag, a Dutch politician and the current UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.
Al Hashimy and Kaag are the only woman on either board.
“Each Executive Board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization,” the White House said in a statement announcing the appointments.
Mladenov was also named the “High Representative for Gaza.”
“In this capacity, he will act as the on-the-ground link between the Board of Peace and the NCAG. He will support the Board’s oversight of all aspects of Gaza’s governance, reconstruction, and development, while ensuring coordination across civilian and security pillars,” the White House statement said.
Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers was appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), “where he will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarization, and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials,” it said.
Jeffers, a commander in the U.S. Special Operations Command Central, has helped oversee the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire amid the war in Gaza.
Serving as “senior advisers” to the Board of Peace are Aryeh Lightstone, the CEO of the Abraham Accord Peace Institute and a senior adviser to Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, and Josh Gruenbaum, the commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service within the General Services Administration.
“The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan,” the White House said.
The ceasefire announced in October has largely held, though Israel has killed more than 400 Palestinians in the ensuing months. The first phase of the peace plan is largely completed, apart from the return of one deceased hostage taken by Hamas.
However, Hamas has reasserted its control over much of the Gaza Strip in the ensuing months, raising doubts about its willingness to cede power under Trump’s peace plan.
“The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage,” Witkoff said this week upon announcing the launch of the plan’s second phase. “Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”