USA Announces Launch of Second Phase of Gaza Peace Plan

White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the launch of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, the creation of a committee of Palestinian technocrats to govern the enclave, and the start of “complete demilitarization and reconstruction,” on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post.

In a social media post, Witkoff said that Hamas’s unwillingness to disarm and return the body of the last Israeli hostage from Gaza would lead to “serious consequences.” But he did not provide any details on how these elusive goals would be achieved or on the composition of the technocratic committee.

At a press conference in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellatti said that a consensus had been reached on the composition of the 15-member committee. “This will pave the way for the deployment of this committee in the Gaza Strip to take responsibility for managing daily life and providing basic services to the steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza,” he said.

A statement by the governments involved in the negotiations on committee membership — Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey — mentioned it would be headed by Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath, a civil engineer from Gaza who has held senior positions in the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank. Although other members were also reportedly selected, no other names have been publicly confirmed. An American official who briefed reporters on Wednesday evening said the full list would be released within the next 48 hours.

“This step is an important development that is expected to contribute to strengthening efforts to consolidate stability and improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip,” the mediators stated.

Israel and Hamas have agreed on the full list of members, said a former Egyptian official familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy.

In a statement to The Washington Post, senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu welcomed the creation of the committee, saying it was “scheduled to begin its work in the coming days, as part of the committee is already in the Strip and the other part, which is from Gaza, is outside.”

With the committee formed, the two most pressing issues remaining are “Hamas’ weapons and the withdrawal of Israeli forces,” the former Egyptian official said. “We don’t know how President Trump is going to resolve them.”

The American official acknowledged that Israel remains “skeptical about disarming Hamas.” But “in this next phase, we will be negotiating with Hamas on the next phase — demilitarization with Israel,” including an amnesty program for militants who agree to lay down their arms, as provided for in the peace plan.

“We believe there is a high probability that everyone will try to keep their promise in the agreement,” the official stated.

Trump’s plan, first presented in late September, called for an immediate ceasefire, the return of all living and dead hostages by Hamas, the release of 1,700 Palestinian prisoners by Israel, and the restoration of “full [humanitarian] aid to Gaza.”

In the second phase, which includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the reconstruction of the devastated enclave, all aspects of the plan will be overseen by a Peace Council, which will include as yet unnamed heads of state from various governments in the Middle East and Europe, led by Trump.

Security on the ground in Gaza will be provided by the International Stabilization Force (ISF), although no country has yet publicly committed forces to participate. The official said more information about the ISF would likely be available “in about two weeks.” They stated that the most important element of security in Gaza would be a vetted Palestinian police force, whose members are currently undergoing training.