Trump Names Seven Initial Members for Gaza Peace Council, Including Marco Rubio and Tony Blair

Donald Trump’s Gaza “Peace Council” is described in a charter obtained and verified by The Times of Israël as an international monitoring body for Gaza chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, with a mandate approved in November by the United Nations Security Council that “runs only until the end of 2027.”

“An official of the National Committee for the Management of the Gaza Strip said that all that has been circulated about the committee entering the Gaza Strip after Eid al-Adha to take on its duties is 'completely untrue”

Al-Jazeera Net

The charter’s mission is to promote stability, restore “reliable and legitimate governance,” and ensure lasting peace in regions affected by or threatened by conflicts, with member states represented by their head of state or government and decisions taken by a majority of member states present and voting subject to the President’s approval.

Al-Jazeera Net

In parallel, TRT Afrika reports that Pakistan announced it had received an invitation from the United States to join the Peace Council for Gaza, with Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi saying Trump sent an official invitation to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

TRT Afrika also reports that Egypt renewed its call for the deployment of an international stability force in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aati making the case during a meeting in Cairo with his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis.

The Le HuffPost account says Trump unveiled the list of seven initial members on Friday, January 16, including Marco Rubio, Tony Blair, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Ajay Banga, Marc Rowan, and Robert Gabriel, as the White House calls the group the founding executive board.

The Le HuffPost describes a “peace council almost entirely American,” naming Marco Rubio and Tony Blair among the initial executive members, and says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “formally contested this composition and asked the American administration for explanations.”

France 24 reports that the Palestinian Governance Committee for the Gaza Strip held its first meeting in Cairo on Friday, January 16, and that it is led by Ali Shaath, a civil engineer and former senior official, tasked with governing Gaza during its transition.

France 24

France 24 quotes Trump’s framing of the transitional committee, saying on his Truth Social platform that, as president of the Peace Council, he supported “this transitional committee of experts whose mission will be to govern Gaza during its transition.”

L’actualité says the White House published names of officials overseeing next steps after the first meeting in Cairo, and it reports that Shaath pledged to act quickly to improve living conditions and expects reconstruction and recovery to take about three years.

Al-Jazeera Net adds that a committee member said the committee will not enter Gaza before the formation of the international stabilization force, stressing that “the committee will not enter Gaza before the deployment of the international stabilization force.”

Al-Jazeera Net reports that the National Committee for the Management of the Gaza Strip rejects claims it will enter Gaza after Eid al-Adha, saying the committee “rejects, in no uncertain terms, starting to exercise its duties” behind what Israel calls the Yellow Line or in cooperation with armed militias operating in coordination with Israel.

“Donald Trump unveiled on Friday, January 16, the list of members of the Council of Peace for Gaza, which he will chair”

Le HuffPost

The same Al-Jazeera Net account says the committee member tied entry to the ceasefire framework, stating that the committee will be present “at every site Israel withdraws from according to the agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh.”

In the background of those conditions, TRT Afrika says the White House announced the composition of the members of the Peace Council chaired by Trump and approved the formation of the National Committee for the Management of Gaza, within four structures intended to manage the transitional phase in the enclave: the Peace Council, the Gaza Executive Council, the National Committee for the Management of Gaza, and the International Stability Force.

TRT Afrika also reports that UN Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted on November 17, endows the Peace Council for Gaza as a transitional administrative entity with international legal personality and charges it with establishing the working framework and coordinating the funding of Gaza’s reconstruction, with the Council continuing its work until the Palestinian National Authority has implemented its reform program satisfactorily.

L’actualité adds that Shaath’s technocratic committee would manage day-to-day affairs in Gaza under the supervision of a Peace Council led by Donald Trump, while major challenges include deploying an international security force to oversee the ceasefire and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.