US announces start of Gaza ceasefire second phase | Gaza
The United States announced the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which includes the creation of a committee of Palestinian technocrats expected to take over the day-to-day running of the region during the transition period.
The announcement was: made on social media It was written by Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, but did not include details or names of potential members of the proposed “national committee for the administration of Gaza”. The committee is not expected to begin working unless authorized by a “peace board” that has not yet been created under Trump’s chairmanship.
Witkoff said the second phase would begin with “the complete demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel.”
The first phase of the ceasefire plan began on October 10, with the exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and its allies for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israeli forces withdrew to the yellow ceasefire line, which left them in control of most of the area.
Israeli bombardment of Gaza decreased but did not stop. Approximately 450 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began. No agreement was reached on the disarmament of Hamas.
Two groups representing former Israeli hostages and their families had called on the United States not to declare the start of the second phase of the ceasefire until the remains of the last hostage Ran Gvili, who has not yet been announced, are returned by Hamas. Hamas said it has so far not found Gvili’s body.
“The United States expects Hamas to fully comply with its obligations, including the immediate return of the last deceased hostage,” Witkoff said. “Failure to do so will result in serious consequences.”
Although Witkoff did not provide any details about the proposed Palestinian interim committee, Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty announced that an agreement had been reached by all 15 members of the committee a few hours before the American negotiator’s tweet.
Abdelatty said the committee “will be deployed to the Gaza Strip to manage daily life and basic services.”
Members are expected to be technocrats rather than politicians, but some are believed to have links to the Fatah party, which dominates the Palestinian Authority. The two candidates touted as potential presidents are Ali Shaath, the former deputy minister of planning in the Palestinian Authority, and Majed Abu Ramadan, the Palestinian Authority minister of health.
According to diplomats in the region, the work of the Palestinian transition committee will be overseen by senior Bulgarian and UN diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, who has toured the region and held talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials. Mladenov previously served as the UN envoy to the Middle East peace process from early 2015 until the end of 2020 and is widely respected across the region.
Mladenov will also report to Trump’s peace board, which is expected to consist of a group of world leaders. US officials said the membership would be announced in the next few days.
Talks in Cairo regarding the second phase are also said to focus on a further withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza, and the entry of aid currently stockpiled on the Egyptian side of the border, as well as an overall increase in the flow of goods and aid entering Gaza.
