Egypt Confirms Israel-Hamas Approval of Transitional Gaza Authority as Trump’s Reconstruction Framework Advances

By: Fern Sidman

In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, Egypt announced that Israel and Hamas have jointly approved the formation of a 15-member Palestinian administrative team tasked with governing the Gaza Strip during the postwar transition period — a move that World Israel News (WIN) described in a report on Thursday as “the clearest step yet toward realizing President Donald Trump’s postwar peace and reconstruction plan for Gaza.”

The agreement, unveiled by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in remarks to The Associated Press and confirmed by Israeli sources cited in the World Israel News report, signals an unprecedented degree of regional coordination over Gaza’s future governance. The formation of this technocratic committee — vetted by Israel, endorsed by all major Palestinian factions, and accepted by Hamas — represents the first functional step in implementing the Trump administration’s “Board of Peace” initiative, which seeks to rebuild Gaza while ensuring the enclave’s complete demilitarization.

According to the information provided in the World Israel News report, Abdelatty emphasized that the administrative team will consist solely of “Palestinian technocrats and independent professionals,” excluding any Hamas members or political operatives. “Hamas has no role in the transitional period,” Abdelatty declared. “They have agreed to step aside and allow this committee to take care of daily life in Gaza.”

The foreign minister described the committee’s mission as “purely administrative and humanitarian,” charged with restoring essential services — water, electricity, healthcare, and infrastructure — while coordinating with international agencies. “We need to deploy them to take care of daily life,” Abdelatty said, underscoring that both Israel and Egypt view the arrangement as essential to stabilizing Gaza and preventing a governance vacuum.

As World Israel News reported, the new entity will operate under the oversight of the “Board of Peace,” an international coordination body chaired personally by President Trump. The Board is responsible for channeling and monitoring reconstruction funds, ensuring that no aid is diverted to rebuild Hamas’s military infrastructure.

“The flow of reconstruction funds will be meticulously monitored,” a senior U.S. official told WIN. “Every dollar will be accounted for — this is about rebuilding homes, not tunnels.”

The development marks a pivotal moment in what World Israel News has termed “the Trump Framework” — an ambitious, multilateral peace structure designed to rebuild Gaza while restructuring its political architecture. The plan envisions a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces, the installation of a neutral Palestinian administration, and an international reconstruction drive estimated to cost roughly $70 billion.

President Trump, who personally attended the high-level summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, reiterated that rebuilding Gaza must go hand in hand with “eradicating terrorism and establishing permanent peace.” He told reporters that the agreement between Israel and Hamas was “the first tangible success” in the U.S.-led postwar vision.

“We are not rebuilding Hamas,” Trump declared. “We are rebuilding the lives of innocent civilians. This is peace through strength, and it is working.”

According to the information contained in the World Israel News report, the Board of Peace will include representatives from the United States, Egypt, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, as well as technical advisors from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Its immediate focus is humanitarian stabilization, followed by large-scale infrastructure development — roads, hospitals, desalination plants, and energy facilities — all supervised by Western financial auditors and regional partners.

Foreign Minister Abdelatty, who presided over preparatory meetings in Cairo ahead of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, has emerged as a key mediator between Israel, Hamas, and the international community. “Egypt’s priority,” World Israel News quoted Abdelatty as saying, “is to ensure that the people of Gaza can live normal lives again — free from war, free from terrorism, and free from despair.”

He confirmed that Israel will complete its phased military withdrawal in coordination with Egyptian border forces, while facilitating humanitarian access through designated crossing points. Hamas, in turn, must comply with the ceasefire agreement brokered by Washington, Cairo, and Doha, and refrain from rearming or obstructing international efforts.

“Israel has already begun easing restrictions on humanitarian deliveries,” a senior Israeli defense official told World Israel News. “But the message is clear — there can be no return to the old order. Hamas cannot rule Gaza again.”

The scope of Gaza’s physical and human devastation remains staggering. Jaco Cilliers, a senior UNDP official, told World Israel News that approximately 55 million tons of rubble have accumulated across the territory, the result of two years of continuous combat that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel.

Cilliers estimated that reconstruction could take decades, with the initial stabilization phase requiring at least $70 billion in international assistance. “We are talking about rebuilding an entire urban landscape — housing, utilities, schools, hospitals, and the psychological fabric of a population traumatized by war,” he said.

The United States, Canada, and multiple European nations have already pledged major funding contributions. The Gulf states — particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE — are expected to play a leading role, both financially and logistically.

Among the most unexpected participants at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who announced that Ankara would mobilize Gulf, U.S., and European partners to finance reconstruction efforts. Erdoğan’s remarks, cited in the World Israel News report, were notably conciliatory. “The early response has been promising,” he said. “We have an opportunity to restore Gaza not as a fortress of conflict, but as a model of coexistence.”

Also in attendance was FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who pledged the international football federation’s participation in rebuilding Gaza’s cultural and sports infrastructure. “Football’s role is to support, to unite, to give hope,” Infantino said. “FIFA will help rebuild the stadiums, the youth centers, the playing fields — places where a new generation can dream again.”

Infantino announced a program called “FIFA Arenas for Peace,” aimed at constructing community sports facilities across Gaza and the broader region, in partnership with the Board of Peace. The World Israel News report described the initiative as “a symbolic yet powerful gesture of solidarity — a reminder that even in the aftermath of horror, life and aspiration persist.”

The diplomatic choreography behind the Gaza reconstruction plan reflects what World Israel News called “a new phase of regional pragmatism,” one defined less by ideology and more by shared interests. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — each wary of Hamas’s resurgence — have all publicly supported the creation of the technocratic committee as a mechanism to prevent Iranian-backed militias from reestablishing control over the enclave.

Israeli sources told World Israel News that while Jerusalem remains cautious, it views the plan as “the only viable framework” for ensuring long-term security. “As long as there is clear accountability and zero Hamas involvement, Israel is willing to cooperate,” said one senior official.

The Israeli government has also insisted that any foreign funding must pass through vetted channels. “We will not allow Gaza to become a laundromat for international aid,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week. “Reconstruction is conditional on demilitarization. That is non-negotiable.”

For all its promise, the new arrangement faces steep challenges. World Israel News cautioned that Hamas’s agreement to stand aside “may be tactical rather than sincere,” and that extremist factions within Gaza could seek to sabotage the committee’s operations. There are also political sensitivities surrounding the role of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has publicly welcomed the plan but privately fears being sidelined.

Analysts quoted in the World Israel News report argue that the creation of a neutral administrative committee — rather than restoring PA rule or allowing Hamas to govern — reflects the Trump administration’s preference for “results over rhetoric.”

“This is a governance model rooted in accountability, not ideology,” one diplomat told WIN. “It may not please everyone, but it is workable — and that’s what Gaza needs.”

At the summit’s close, President Trump offered an uncharacteristically solemn message. “The world failed Gaza for too long,” he said, as quoted in the World Israel News report. “We let the extremists dictate the narrative. But now, for the first time, we are giving the people of Gaza — and the people of Israel — something that neither has had in decades: hope.”

He added that the next months will be “critical” as the international community tests Hamas’s commitment to noninterference. “If they keep their word,” Trump said, “Gaza will be rebuilt. If not, we will act decisively.”

As the World Israel News report concluded, the approval of Gaza’s transitional administrative committee represents “a fragile but historic step toward redefining the region’s future.” Whether this fragile architecture can withstand the pressures of politics, ideology, and mistrust remains uncertain — but for the first time since the blood-soaked morning of October 7, there appears to be a shared vision on the horizon.

“Gaza’s recovery,” WIN wrote, “is no longer just a local or regional concern. It is a global test — of will, of unity, and of the world’s ability to learn from its own failures.”