Russia, Thailand Invited to Join Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin received the invitation and that the Kremlin was currently “studying the details” and would try to clarify “all the nuances” in contacts with the United States. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had also been invited and was reviewing the details.

European Commission spokesman Olof Gill confirmed that commission president Ursula von der Leyen had received an invitation and would meet with other EU leaders about Gaza. Gill did not say whether the invitation was accepted, but said the commission wanted to “contribute to a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict.”

It’s unclear how many leaders have been invited to join the board. However, Trump’s references in his invitation letters that this institution would “take a new and bold approach to resolving global conflict” suggested that this institution could act as a rival to the UN Security Council, the most powerful body of the global organization created after the Second World War.

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday rejected the Peace Board as an unfair deal for Israel and called for its dissolution.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the new Yatziv settlement in the occupied West Bank, Smotrich said: “It is time to explain to the President that his plan is bad for the State of Israel and cancel the plan.” he said. “Gaza is ours, its future will affect our future more than anyone else’s. We will take responsibility for what is happening there, impose military rule and complete the mission.”

Smotrich even suggested that Israel renew a full-scale attack on Gaza to destroy Hamas if it did not comply with “a brief ultimatum for genuine disarmament and exile.”

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the formation of the committee was not coordinated with the Israeli government and was “contrary to its policies.”

The USA is expected to announce its official member list in the coming days, probably at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Board members will oversee an executive committee that will be responsible for implementing the difficult second phase of the Gaza peace plan, which includes the deployment of the international security force, the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of the war-torn area.

A $1 billion contribution guarantees permanent membership on the board, along with money to be used for Gaza reconstruction, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity about the contract, which has not been publicly disclosed. There is no contribution obligation for a three-year term.

But the details of how this will work remain unclear. Britain is talking to its allies about the peace board, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday. While Britain did not say whether Starmer had been formally invited to participate, he said the second phase of the Gaza peace plan should continue and that his country had “shown it is willing to do our part and we will do that.”

Managing Gaza Egypt’s top diplomat met Monday with the leader of the newly appointed committee of Palestinian technocrats who will run the day-to-day affairs of Gaza during the second phase of the peace plan.

Foreign Minister Bader Abdelatty met with Ali Shaath, a Palestinian engineer and former official of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority who was appointed chief commissioner of the National Committee for Gaza Administration last week.

In a statement from the Egyptian ministry following the meeting, Abdelatty expressed the Egyptian government’s “full support” for the committee and confirmed its role in running the day-to-day affairs of Gaza until the Palestinian Authority takes over the territory.

He also underlined “the importance of preserving the unity of the Palestinian territory and ensuring geographical and administrative continuity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.”

More aid is arriving but situation remains fragile The UN World Food Program said on Monday it had “significantly expanded” its operations in Gaza, 100 days after the ceasefire, reaching more than a million people every month with hot meals, bread packets and food parcels. But he warned that despite critical progress in suppressing the famine, the situation remained “extremely fragile”.

It was stated that malnutrition of 200,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under the age of 5 was prevented, and school snacks reached 235,000 children in 250 temporary schools.

Yet the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis from December shows that 77% of the population faces crisis-level food insecurity and more than 100,000 people experience catastrophic levels of hunger.

WFP said access to nutritious foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products was limited, with many families still unable to afford more commercial goods entering Gaza.

The Palestinian teenager was shot and killed, hospital officials said on Monday. It was stated that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian young man in the south of Gaza.

According to Nasser Hospital, 17-year-old Hussein Tawfiq Abu Sabalah was shot in the Muwasi district of Rafah on Monday morning. It was not immediately clear whether it crossed into or came close to Israeli-controlled territory.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 460 people have died from Israeli fire since the ceasefire came into force and their bodies have been taken to hospitals. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.