US names Rubio, Tony Blair, Kushner to Gaza board
The White House announced some members of the “Peace Board” that will oversee the interim administration of Gaza, which has been under a fragile ceasefire since October.
The names include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
According to the plan announced by the White House in October, Trump is the chairman of the board.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have approved Trump’s plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic body would be overseen by the international body that would oversee the administration of Gaza during the transition period.
While many human rights experts and advocates say that “Trump’s oversight of a board that would oversee the administration of a foreign territory is akin to a colonialist structure,” Blair’s intervention has been criticized in 2025 for his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the “founding board” on Friday.
There are no Palestinians in the names.
The White House said more members will be announced in the coming weeks.
The White House stated that the board will also include private equity manager and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Trump advisor Robert Gabriel, adding that former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov will be Gaza’s high representative.
U.S. special operations commander Army Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers has been appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force, the White House said.
A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorized the body and countries working with it to establish this force in Gaza.
The White House also appointed an 11-member “Gaza Executive Board” that will include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Sigrid Kaag, United Arab Emirates minister for international cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, as well as some board members.
The White House said this additional board would support Mladenov’s office and the Palestinian technocratic body, details of which were announced this week.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire in Gaza, where more than 450 Palestinians, including more than 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed during the ceasefire.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza since October 2023 have killed tens of thousands of people, led to a hunger crisis, and resulted in the internal displacement of the entire population of Gaza.
Many human rights experts, academics and UN investigations say this amounts to genocide.
Israel said it acted in self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage in an attack in late 2023.
