Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced that phase two of President Trump’s Gaza peace plan has begun, focusing on demilitarization, governmental transition, and reconstruction.
“Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” Witkoff announced on social media. “The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
He noted that phase one of the plan “delivered historic humanitarian aid, maintained the ceasefire, returned all living hostages and the remains of twenty-seven of the twenty-eight deceased hostages,” and thanked Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for their “indispensable mediation efforts that made all progress to date possible.”
France 24 reports that Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, agreed to move forward on the peace plan. The groups agreed to “support the mediators’ efforts in forming the Palestinian National Transitional Committee to administer the Gaza Strip, while providing the appropriate environment,” a statement read.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian presidency also issued a statement in support of the peace plan, telling AFP that it “reflects the position of the Fatah movement because President (Mahmud) Abbas is also the head of Fatah.”
A joint statement from mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey revealed that the Palestinian Technocratic Committee to Administer the Gaza Strip will be headed by a former Palestinian deputy minister Ali Shaath. According to Reuters, other members include former U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mlandenov, as well as several individuals from the private sector and non-governmental organizations.
