US President Donald Trump has announced the formation of a Gaza "board of peace". Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images / AFP
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) announced the formation of a Gaza "board of peace," a key phase two element of a US-backed plan to end the war in the Palestinian territory.
"It is my Great Honor to announce that THE BOARD OF PEACE has been formed," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding that the members of the body will be announced "shortly."
"I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place," Trump said.
The board's creation comes shortly after the announcement of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee, charged with managing the day-to-day governance of post-war Gaza.
The committee will work under the supervision of the board of peace, which Trump is expected to chair.
The plan also calls for the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force to help secure Gaza and train vetted Palestinian police units.
"The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee," Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, said in a statement on Thursday.
The US-backed Gaza peace plan first came into force on October 10, facilitating the return of all the hostages held by Hamas and an end to the fighting in the besieged territory.
The plan's second phase is now underway, though clouded by unresolved issues.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has said Israeli forces have killed 451 people since the ceasefire ostensibly took effect.
For Palestinians, the central issue remains Israel's full military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip - a step included in the plan's framework but for which no detailed timetable has been announced.
Hamas, meanwhile, has refused to publicly commit to a full disarmament, a non-negotiable demand from Israel.
-AFP
