Trump to chair Board of Peace overseeing Gaza demilitarization and reconstruction

President Donald Trump announced that a U.S.-backed Board of Peace has been formed to oversee the second phase of his administration’s Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction plan and said he will chair the body. The announcement was posted on his Truth Social account with the declaration, “THE BOARD OF PEACE has been formed,” and a promise that its members “will be announced shortly,” adding that it was “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place.”

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said the second phase had begun and characterized the shift as moving “from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.” U.S. officials framed phase two as beginning “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza,” placing the Board of Peace as the supervisory body charged with overseeing a transitional technocratic administration that will run Gaza’s day-to-day affairs during the rebuilding effort.

The board’s final membership remains in flux. U.S. officials indicated a compact leadership group is expected and signalled that more names will be revealed in the coming days, with some anticipating announcements to coincide with the president’s planned travel to international forums. Former U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov has been repeatedly linked to a senior role; U.S. officials confirmed he would be appointed as the Board of Peace’s senior representative on the ground in Gaza and would serve as a liaison between the newly formed Palestinian committee and the Board. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying Mladenov would “lead the board,” a characterization that diverges from other descriptions of Mladenov as the board’s on-the-ground representative.

A 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the NCAG, has been announced to administer the Gaza Strip under Board supervision. The committee is reported to be headed by Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath, a former deputy planning minister in the Palestinian Authority. Mediators Qatar, Turkey and Egypt welcomed the formation of the committee, saying it would “contribute to strengthening efforts aimed at consolidating stability and improving the humanitarian situation.” The U.N. secretary-general also signalled support for the transition to phase two.

Phase two envisages deployment of an International Stabilisation Force to help secure Gaza and to train vetted Palestinian police units, while moving toward the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups. U.S. envoys warned that failure to comply would carry “serious consequences.” Hamas has publicly refused to commit to full disarmament and has not acquiesced to all elements of the framework, complicating the path forward.

Humanitarian and political challenges persist. The plan’s first phase, which facilitated a ceasefire, hostage-prisoner exchanges and a partial Israeli withdrawal, began in October 2025 and halted the most intense fighting that followed the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the broader war. Despite the ceasefire, reports of aid shortages and continued violence endured, and Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said Israeli forces had killed 451 people since the ceasefire took effect. A central unresolved issue for Palestinians remains the timetable and scope of a full Israeli military withdrawal, along with the precise makeup and authority of the stabilisation force and the Board’s operational modalities. Senior Hamas leader Bassem Naim said the ball is “in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee.” Further details on membership and operations are expected in the coming days.