WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Friday moved to take a central role in determining Gaza’s post-war future, announcing a new international “Board of Peace” and naming a senior American general to lead a security mission in the devastated territory amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The announcement was first detailed by Reuters and later reported by Al Jazeera.
The initiative comes after more than two years of war that has left much of Gaza in ruins and displaced millions of Palestinians. The White House said the new board will guide governance reforms, reconstruction, investment, and large-scale funding for rebuilding Gaza, while also coordinating with regional and international partners.
Trump named former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, World Bank President Ajay Banga, billionaire financier Marc Rowan, and National Security Council official Robert Gabriel as members of the Board of Peace. Blair previously served as the Middle East Quartet representative, a role also documented by The Guardian.
Alongside this, Trump appointed US Major General Jasper Jeffers to head an International Stabilisation Force tasked with securing Gaza and training a new Palestinian police force to replace Hamas’ control. Details of Jeffers’ previous ceasefire role were also covered by Financial Times.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian technocratic governing committee led by former Palestinian Authority official Ali Shaath held its first meeting in Cairo, attended by Kushner. Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov has been appointed as a liaison between the committee and Trump’s board.
Trump also announced a second advisory board that will include Blair, Witkoff, Mladenov, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. UN humanitarian coordinator Sigrid Kaag was also named to the board.
The announcement came as Israel conducted fresh airstrikes in Gaza, citing violations of the October ceasefire. Washington says its strategy has now shifted from maintaining the ceasefire to disarming Hamas and stabilising the territory.
Trump, a former real estate developer, has previously suggested transforming Gaza into a modern economic hub similar to a Mediterranean resort zone, though he has retreated from proposals involving forced displacement of Palestinians.
The plan marks one of the most ambitious US-led interventions in Gaza’s governance and reconstruction since the conflict began, drawing both international support and criticism over concerns of external control over Palestinian territory.
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