Trump envoy says Gaza is entering second phase of ceasefire plan

U.S. says Gaza ceasefire enters next phase

The United States said Wednesday that it is moving into the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan brokered with President Donald Trump. The next phase, the U.S. said, involves disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory and establishing a group of Palestinian experts to administer daily affairs in Gaza under American supervision.

The announcement followed remarks by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, who said in a post on X that the deal was entering its second phase after two years of war between Israel and Hamas, including the establishment of a technocratic government in Gaza.

Technocratic committee welcomed; leadership named

Mediators in the ceasefire talks, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, welcomed the establishment of the Palestinian technocratic committee. In a joint statement, the three countries said it was an “important development … aimed at consolidating stability and improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”

The statement said the committee would be led by Ali Shaath, described by the AP as a Gaza native who served as a deputy minister for transportation with the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. The report said Shaath is an engineer and an expert in economic development and reconstruction, citing his biography on the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute’s website.

Challenges remain, including security oversight and disarmament

The AP said the establishment of a new transitional administration and the ceasefire agreement face major challenges, including the deployment of an international security force to supervise the deal and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.

The AP reported that Witkoff did not offer details about who would serve on the new transitional Palestinian administration that would govern Gaza, and that the White House did not immediately provide additional information.

Hamas response and the hostage issue

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Al-Jazeera Live on Wednesday that Witkoff’s announcement was an important and positive development. The AP reported that Qassem said Hamas is ready to hand over the administration of Gaza to an independent technocratic committee and facilitate its work.

In statements Qassem shared on Telegram, the AP reported, Qassem said: “Hamas is ready to engage in internal Palestinian approaches to discuss the issue of the resistance weapons.”

The AP identified the last hostage referenced in the reporting as Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer who was killed while fighting Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war in Gaza.

The AP reported that Witkoff said the U.S. expects Hamas to immediately return the final Israeli hostage as part of its obligations under the deal, and that he warned: “Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”

Netanyahu discusses return of Gvili’s remains

The AP said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Wednesday evening to Gvili’s parents, Tali and Itzik Gvili. Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the return of their son’s remains is a top priority.

The statement added that, “The declarative move to establish a technocratic committee will not affect efforts to return Ran to Israel’s grave,” according to the AP.

The office said Israel would act on any information the mediators receive and said Hamas is required under the ceasefire agreement to do all it can to return each and every hostage.

Ceasefire timeline and reconstruction costs

The AP said the ceasefire reached under Trump’s 20-point plan took effect in October and stopped much of the fighting. It said that under the first phase of the three-phase deal, Hamas released all but one hostage it was holding in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel.

The AP said appointees to a technocratic committee that Witkoff said would be established under the second phase are part of a broader plan to end Hamas’ 18-year rule of Gaza. It said the appointees would run day-to-day affairs in Gaza under the oversight of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,” whose members have not yet been named.

The AP reported that the technocratic committee will be tasked with providing public services to more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, but that it faces “towering challenges and unanswered questions,” including questions about its operations and financing.

It said the United Nations estimated reconstruction will cost more than $50 billion, and that the process is expected to take years with little money pledged so far. The AP also said the immediate challenge will be figuring out how to take over basic services after nearly two decades of Hamas-led rule and repeated rounds of conflict with Israel.