US President Donald Trump on Friday outlined a new framework for post-war governance and security in Gaza, naming former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to a senior role and appointing a US military officer to lead a newly formed international stabilization force. The announcements mark a significant step in the administration’s effort to shape Gaza’s political and security future following more than two years of heavy Israeli military operations that have left much of the territory in ruins.
Trump announced the full membership of what he has described as a “Board of Peace,” a supervisory body intended to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and governance. The board is dominated by Americans and includes Blair, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump business partner who has taken on an expanded diplomatic role. Trump has previously declared himself chair of the board. Blair’s appointment drew attention due to his past role in the 2003 Iraq war, which remains controversial across much of the Middle East. Trump acknowledged those sensitivities last year, saying he wanted to make sure Blair was an “acceptable choice to everybody.”
According to the White House, the Board of Peace will address issues including “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding and capital mobilization.” The administration has framed the initiative as a way to coordinate international resources and oversight at a time when Gaza faces extensive physical destruction and institutional collapse. Trump, a former real estate developer, has previously discussed ambitious redevelopment concepts for Gaza, including comparisons to resort-style destinations, while later clarifying that he was not calling for the forced displacement of residents.
The board also includes World Bank President Ajay Banga, billionaire financier Marc Rowan, and Robert Gabriel, a Trump aide who serves on the National Security Council. Their inclusion reflects an emphasis on financial coordination, investment, and security planning alongside diplomatic engagement. The move follows a meeting in Cairo of a Palestinian technocratic committee intended to manage day-to-day governance in Gaza. That meeting was attended by Kushner and included Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, who has been tasked with serving as a liaison between the committee and Trump’s Board of Peace.
As governance plans advance, security conditions remain unstable. Israel’s military said Friday that it had again struck targets in Gaza in response to what it called a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire declared in October. The renewed strikes came even as Washington announced that the Gaza plan had moved into a second phase, shifting focus from enforcing the ceasefire to disarming Hamas. Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Israeli offensive that continues to shape conditions on the ground.
To address security concerns, Trump named US Major General Jasper Jeffers to lead an International Stabilization Force. The force is intended to provide security in Gaza and train a new local police force to replace Hamas’s control. Jeffers, who comes from US Central Command’s special operations community, previously oversaw monitoring of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in late 2024, an arrangement that has nonetheless seen intermittent strikes against Hezbollah targets.
US officials have been seeking international participation in the stabilization force, with Indonesia identified as an early volunteer. Diplomatic sources, however, have indicated that persuading countries to contribute troops may prove difficult unless Hamas agrees to fully disarm. The uncertainty highlights the broader challenge of establishing security and governance structures acceptable to regional actors while maintaining stability.
Gaza native and former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath has been tapped to head the governing committee, which is expected to meet again in Cairo. One committee member told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity, “We hope to go to Gaza next week or the week after; our work is there, and we need to be there.” The administration has also named a second executive board with a more advisory role, including Blair, Witkoff, Mladenov, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Turkey’s involvement remains sensitive. Israel has opposed a Turkish role in the security force, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s repeated public criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The broader board will also include senior representatives from Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, countries that have played mediation roles or normalized relations with Israel in recent years. Trump additionally named Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, to the board, despite his administration’s broader efforts to limit the UN’s influence in the region.
