By: Fern Sidman

President Donald Trump is poised to unveil a bold and unprecedented initiative next week that could reshape governance and reconstruction efforts in the war-scarred Gaza Strip. According to a report that appeared on Thursday morning at Israel National News and confirmed by U.S. officials and diplomatic insiders reporting to Axios’ Barak Ravid, Trump will announce the establishment of the Gaza Board of Peace — an international council designed to shepherd Gaza through a transitional phase following the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

This proposed body would marshal an array of global leadership and resources to supervise the formation of a Palestinian technocratic government and oversee the monumental, politically fraught task of reconstructing Gaza. Axios reported that the announcement is the centerpiece of the long-anticipated “second phase” of the Trump-brokered ceasefire plan — a progression that until now has been beset by delays and diplomatic complexities.

As per the report at Israel National News, the Gaza Board of Peace is expected to comprise approximately fifteen world leaders and be chaired directly by President Trump himself. Invitations are already being circulated to key nations, including major Western powers and pivotal regional actors alike. Early prospective members include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey — a collection that reflects the broad geographic scope of interest in Gaza’s future. Israel National News

Trump has publicly previewed this initiative, describing it in grand terms last month as potentially “one of the most legendary boards ever,” populated by kings, presidents and prime ministers, as was report by Reuters. He has indicated his intention to announce membership of the body in early 2026.

This board represents a striking fusion of American leadership with multilateral engagement — a response to the geopolitical complexity inherently tied to Gaza’s future. In a diplomatic theater crowded with rival interests and mistrust, the Board of Peace is envisioned as a stabilizing mechanism, charged with facilitating not only reconstruction but also confidence-building between diverse political stakeholders.

The announcement comes amid efforts to implement the second phase of Trump’s broader ceasefire framework, which was first articulated in late 2025 and is linked to a United Nations Security Council resolution that authorized the transitional body, the Reuters report indicated.

The first phase of the Gaza agreement, formalized during negotiations in Egypt and subsequently ratified by leaders in Washington and Jerusalem, involved a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas, the partial return of hostages, and an initial Israeli withdrawal from significant portions of Gaza. Wikipedia

However, while the ceasefire has largely held, sporadic violence has persisted, illuminating the fragility of the truce and the complexity of its implementation. Nevertheless, reuters reported that both the Trump administration and Israeli government have expressed interest in moving forward — provided that conditions on the ground remain stable and workable for the next stages of governance and reconstruction.

The Board of Peace is intended to function as the interim governing authority in Gaza until a more permanent political arrangement can be negotiated. It would supervise the nascent Palestinian technocratic administration — a civilian governance structure composed primarily of non-partisan technocrats tasked with managing day-to-day public services and basic governmental functions.

Notably, Israel National News reported that the former United Nations special envoy to the Middle East, Nikolay Mladenov, has been selected as the Board’s representative on the ground. Mladenov is currently in Israel engaging with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials to coordinate preparatory logistics ahead of Trump’s announcement.

The Board is also expected to interface with a newly authorized International Stabilization Force, a peacekeeping contingent mandated to maintain order and support reconstruction efforts in Gaza under the same U.N. resolution that endorsed the transitional body.

The creation of the Gaza Board of Peace represents a bold approach to an enduring dilemma: how to transition Gaza from a war-torn battleground to a governed, functioning society without reigniting violence or entrenching factional rule. For decades, Gaza’s governance has been dominated by Hamas, a group regarded as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and other Western states, complicating efforts to imagine any post-conflict political arrangement that excludes or neutralizes its influence.

Trump’s plan does not include Hamas in any governing role. Instead, the Board’s technocratic vision reflects a broader international inclination toward administrative expertise and neutrality — a model designed to limit partisan domination and provide Gaza’s population with essential services in a politically volatile landscape. Wikipedia

The potential inclusion of Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt — each with its own strategic interests in Gaza — suggests a deliberate effort to bask the transitional process in regional legitimacy while tethering it to a substantive international framework, as was noted in the Israel National News report.

Yet this effort is not without its skeptics. Critics observe that creating a multinational governing board risks diluting local agency and raising questions about the legitimacy of externally appointed leaders. Moreover, Axios reported that the precise balance between the Board’s authority and that of the Palestinian technocratic government remains subject to diplomatic negotiation and, per U.S. officials, could evolve based on parallel foreign policy priorities ranging from Venezuela to Ukraine-Russia negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent engagements with Trump were instrumental in propelling the Board of Peace initiative forward. As reported by Israel National News, Netanyahu’s agreement to advance to the second phase of the ceasefire plan during his White House visit cleared a key political hurdle for the planned announcement.

Nevertheless, certain aspects of the phase-two agenda remain contentious within Israeli political circles. Israeli officials have stressed the necessity of ensuring Gaza’s demilitarization and preventing militant resurgence before withdrawing further Israeli control from key areas of the enclave. As reflected in recent discussions, Israel seeks firm assurances that any transitional governance framework will contribute to long-term security and the protection of its citizens, as was reported by Reuters.

Washington’s insistence on advancing toward the Board of Peace and other institutional mechanisms has, at times, provoked debate between the two allies about sequencing and preconditions, Reuters reported. Still, the consensus remains that without an organized governance structure and reconstruction plan, Gaza risks regressing into instability or renewed conflict.

In an indication of the Board’s intended prominence, its inaugural meeting may take place at the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month — a venue synonymous with global policy innovation and elite diplomatic engagement. The Israel National News report observed that such a platform would signal international commitment to Gaza’s reconstruction and offer an early opportunity for participating nations to coordinate strategy and resources.

The choice of Davos also underscores the broader geopolitical ambitions tied to the project: positioning Gaza’s recovery within a global development and economic context rather than a purely regional negotiation. It also reflects Washington’s desire to transform what has been a humanitarian and security crisis into a narrative of reconstruction and international cooperation.

As President Trump prepares to formalize the Gaza Board of Peace, the world watches a diplomatic gambit that seeks to bridge war and peace, violence and reconstruction, politics and governance. Israel National News has chronicled this development not merely as another headline, but as a potential fulcrum upon which the Middle East’s future might tilt — for better or worse.

Whether the Board will fulfill its ambitious mandate, win local legitimacy, and withstand challenges from entrenched power brokers remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the next chapter of Gaza’s aftermath has entered a new and highly complex phase — one defined by international cooperation, strategic contestation, and the ever-present shadow of conflict.