Israel’s government objected to a White House announcement naming leaders who would play a role in overseeing next steps in Gaza as the ceasefire moves into its challenging second phase, according to an Israeli statement reported by the Associated Press.
Israel’s criticism came as a rare public rebuke from Jerusalem toward its close ally in Washington. The statement said a Gaza executive committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy,” without providing further details. It also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told the foreign ministry to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The White House announcement on Friday included an executive committee with what the Associated Press described as no Israeli official, but it included Israeli businessman billionaire Yakir Gabay. The article said the committee also included two of U.S. President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, a former British prime minister, a U.S. general and representatives of several Middle Eastern governments.
The White House said the executive committee would carry out the vision of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,” though the members of that board were described as not yet named. Alongside the executive committee, the White House announced a new Palestinian committee intended to run Gaza’s day-to-day affairs, with oversight from the executive committee.
The AP reported that the Palestinian committee met for the first time on Thursday in Cairo. It said the executive committee’s named members included Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Trump’s Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel.
The committee roster also included, the article said, a diplomat from Qatar, an intelligence chief from Egypt and Turkey’s foreign minister, countries that have served as ceasefire mediators. It said the committee also included a Cabinet minister for the United Arab Emirates.
AP reported that Turkey has strained relations with Israel but has good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the group to yield power and disarm. The article said Hamas has stated it will dissolve its government in Gaza once the new Palestinian committee takes office, while providing no sign it would dismantle its military wing or security forces.
Netanyahu’s office did not respond Saturday to questions about Israel’s objections regarding the executive committee, the AP reported. Minutes after Israel’s statement, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir backed Netanyahu and urged him to order the military to prepare to return to war, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on social media that “the countries that kept Hamas alive cannot be the ones that replace it.”
The AP also reported that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest militant group after Hamas, expressed dissatisfaction with the makeup of the Gaza executive committee and said it reflected Israeli “specifications.”
The ceasefire, which the AP said took effect on Oct. 10, is part of a U.S.-drafted plan moving into its second phase. The AP reported that the first phase focused on the return of all remaining hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees, alongside a surge in humanitarian aid and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza.
The AP said the war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which it said killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took over 250 hostage. It said Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 71,400 Palestinians, including over 460 since the ceasefire began, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The AP reported that Gaza’s Health Ministry maintains detailed casualty records seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It also said the last hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, was killed during the attack that sparked the war, and that his parents, Talik and Itzik Gvili, said Saturday they were “deeply concerned by moves toward the rehabilitation of Gaza” while Hamas had not fulfilled its obligation to return everyone.