Ali Shaath, āa widely respected technocratic leaderā, will oversee the restoration of core public services, the rebuilding of civil institutions, and the stabilisation of daily life in Gaza, the White House says in a statement. He will be the head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), it said.
āWe only have hope and patienceā
Nivine Ahmad, a 47-year-old woman living in a camp for the displaced in southern Gazaās al-Mawasi area, says Palestinians in the war-torn enclave āmiss real lifeā. She said the announcement of the formation of the 15-member technocratic committee led her to imagine returning to Gaza City. āI pictured living with my family in a prefabricated unit, with electricity and water instead of our bombed home,ā she said. āOnly then will I feel that the war is over,ā she added. In the meantime, she urged the world to put itself in the shoes of Palestinians. āWe only have hope and patience,ā she said.
White House announces founding members of so-called āboard of peaceā in Gaza
The White House has announced the formation of a founding executive board to implement the newly established so-called Gaza āboard of peaceā to oversee the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire, chaired by President Trump. āTo operationalise the Board of Peaceās vision ā under the chairmanship of President Donald J. Trump ā a founding Executive Board has been formed, composed of leaders with experience across diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy,ā a statement from the White House said. According to the statement, the appointed members are:
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff
- Trumpās son-in-law, Jared Kushner
- Ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair
- US businessman Marc Rowan
- World Bank President Ajay Banga
- Deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel
āEach Executive Board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gazaās stabilisation and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation,ā the statement added.
āNothingās changedā: Gaza City resident expresses frustration as Israel continues attacks amid ceasefire
From his tent in Gaza City, Mahmoud Abdel Aal said residents were frustrated and worried because nothing had changed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the US-brokered ceasefireās second phase. āThere is no difference between the war and the ceasefire, nor between the first and second phase of the deal: strikes continue every day,ā Abdel Aal told the AFP news agency. āEveryone is worried and frustrated because nothingās changed.ā Most residents interviewed by AFP said they were sceptical about recent announcements regarding the formation of the so-called āBoard of Peaceā, an entity chaired by Trump and supposed to oversee reconstruction, and a Palestinian technocratic committee with which it is to work.
āNo one is concerned for us,ā said Hossam Majed, who is living in the ruins of his home in Gaza City. āThe whole world meets in Cairo to talk about Gaza, but they canāt even enter it,ā he told AFP. āIsrael will use the pretext of handing over the last body [of a captive], then the weapons [of Hamas], and the second phase will stretch over additional years,ā he said. Hamas returned 47 of 48 captives it was supposed to hand over under the terms of the first phase, and has yet to commit to disarming as is planned under the second phase.
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