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US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) announced the formation of a "Board of Peace" as part of Phase Two of his 20-Point Peace Plan to end the Gaza conflict, shifting the focus from ceasefire to demilitarisation, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States has "officially entered the next phase" of the Gaza peace plan following what he described as record levels of humanitarian aid delivered during the ceasefire period. "Since the ceasefire, my team has helped deliver record levels of humanitarian aid to Gaza, reaching civilians at historic speed and scale. Even the United Nations has acknowledged this achievement as unprecedented," Trump said. Trump said he would serve as Chairman of the newly created Board of Peace, which will back a Palestinian technocratic government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), to govern the territory during its transition period. "As Chairman of the Board of Peace, I am backing a newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the Board's High Representative, to govern Gaza during its transition," he said, adding that the leadership is committed to a peaceful future. According to Trump's post, with the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, the next phase will aim to secure a comprehensive demilitarisation agreement with Hamas, including the surrender of all weapons and the dismantling of all tunnels. "Hamas must IMMEDIATELY honor its commitments, including the return of the final body to Israel, and proceed without delay to full Demilitarization," Trump said, warning that the group could do so "the easy way, or the hard way." "The people of Gaza have suffered long enough. The time is NOW. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH," Trump added. This comes after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, in a post on X on Wednesday, formally announced the launch of Phase Two on behalf of the US President. "Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarisation and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorised personnel," Witkoff said. He added that the United States expects Hamas to fully comply with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage, warning that failure to do so would result in "serious consequences". Witkoff said Phase One of the plan had maintained the ceasefire, facilitated the return of all living hostages, and enabled the recovery of the remains of 27 of the 28 deceased hostages, while delivering humanitarian aid at an unprecedented scale. He also expressed gratitude to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for their mediation efforts, calling them "indispensable" to the progress achieved so far. The US-backed Gaza peace plan was implemented on October 10, 2025, resulting in the return of all hostages held by Hamas and bringing an end to the conflict in the embattled region. (ANI)
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