President Trump unveiled a controversial Peace Council for Gaza, including Tony Blair and Jared Kushner, prompting international debate.
Council Members and Structure
Donald Trump will head the Peace Council overseeing Gaza, with American Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff among its members. The council will supervise a temporary “Palestinian technocratic government” in Gaza. Other members include Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, American businessman Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump advisor Robert Gabriel. Bulgarian diplomat and former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenow will serve as the high representative for Gaza, acting as a liaison between the Peace Council and temporary authorities.
Josh Gruenbaum from the General Services Administration and Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, advisor to the US Ambassador to Israel, will serve as consultants. General Jasper Jeffers has been appointed commander of International Stabilization Forces, responsible for security operations, demilitarization, and enabling safe humanitarian aid and reconstruction material deliveries.
Controversial Appointments
Several council members have sparked controversy. Tony Blair, who participated in the Quartet like Mladenow, was the UK Prime Minister who sent troops to Iraq and is closely associated with Larry Ellison, who has donated over $15 million to the Israeli army and funded excavations in East Jerusalem that were criticized by Palestinians and Israeli peace activists. Ellison also has close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mark Rowan, who generously funded Trump’s campaign and was considered for Treasury Secretary, protested against the organization of a Palestinian cultural festival at the University of Pennsylvania.
International Criticism
“Zero Palestinians, Arabs or Muslims. Only one non-American: Tony Blair. What a joke,” wrote journalist Mehdi Hasan, who also argued that Blair should stand trial for war crimes and that appointing him to lead the peace process is like “appointing an arsonist as fire chief.” “This is not a Peace Council – it’s a colonial occupational council,” evaluated Tayab Ali, lawyer and head of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians. The magazine +972 reminded of its article on Mladenow, assessing that he views peace as “mitigating apartheid.”
Gaza Board Structure
In addition to the Peace Council, Trump established a “Gaza Board” including Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, Rowan, and Mladenow, as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, Egyptian intelligence chief General Hassan Rashad, UAE Minister of International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy, UN Special Envoy for Gaza humanitarian aid and reconstruction Sigrid Kaag, and Israeli real estate tycoon Yakir Gabay. After the White House announcement, Turkey and Egypt reported that their presidents had been invited to join the Peace Council.
Palestinian Technocratic Government
The White House announced that Dr. Ali Sha’ath will head the Palestinian technocratic government (National Committee for the Administration of Gaza). The 68-year-old Gaza native is an infrastructure and urban planning specialist who held high positions in the Palestinian Authority, including in the ministries of transport and planning. The Trump administration emphasizes that he is “widely respected for his pragmatic, technocratic leadership and understanding of the institutional realities of Gaza.” Sha’ath will oversee restoring basic public services, rebuilding civil institutions, and stabilizing daily life while laying foundations for long-term, self-rule.
Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
Although bombings and shelling have decreased since the October ceasefire, attacks continue. According to UNICEF, what the world calls “calm” in Gaza would be recognized as a crisis elsewhere. The ceasefire has had the unintended effect that Palestinian children in the region have disappeared from view. At least 100 children have been killed and hundreds injured in the past three months. “On average, one child dies every day,” said UNICEF spokesman James Elder, noting that statistics only include confirmed incidents and the scale may be much larger.
Severe winter conditions in Gaza have affected at least 100,000 families living in makeshift tents. Many tents have been torn by wind or completely collapsed. At least five children died from hypothermia in December, and one drowned during a sudden flood. UNICEF and partners are providing emergency winter assistance, delivering tarpaulins, blankets, and hygiene items, installing temporary pipelines, and ensuring access to latrines.
Limited Improvements and Israeli Restrictions
UN agencies acknowledge that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has brought limited improvement in access to food and basic goods, averting the threat of hunger in some regions. However, they warn that these are extremely fragile gains that could be quickly lost without sustained humanitarian support and reconstruction of basic services, especially if fighting resumes. Meanwhile, Israel has banned 37 organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, from entering Gaza at the start of the year.
Israeli Demolitions in Gaza
Despite the ceasefire, Israel is massively demolishing buildings. Journalists from The New York Times analyzed satellite photos showing that over 2,500 structures have been razed. Tel Aviv explains that its actions aim to disarm Hamas and destroy tunnel networks. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz commented on the NYT article: “When the Prime Minister and I said ‘until the last tunnel’ – that’s exactly what we meant – to destroy and demolish the murderous terrorist underground infrastructure that Hamas built under the homes of Gaza residents, and all buildings above them, to remove the threat to the residents of the Negev desert and the State of Israel. That’s what we did and that’s what we will do.” Local media report that the Israeli Defense Forces plan to resume military operations in Gaza in March.
