US: Gaza Is Entering New Phase of Ceasefire

The United States said Wednesday that it is moving into the next phase of a Gaza ceasefire plan that involves disarming Hamas, rebuilding the war-ravaged territory, and establishing the group of Palestinian experts who will administer daily affairs in Gaza under American supervision. President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X that the ceasefire deal the president helped broker was entering its second phase following two years of war between Israel and Hamas, including the establishment of a technocratic government in Gaza.

But Witkoff did not offer any details about who would serve on the new transitional Palestinian administration that would govern Gaza, the AP reports. Trump's White House did not immediately offer any more information, either. More:

• The mediators of the ceasefire deal—Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar—welcomed the establishment of the committee and said it would be led by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority. "This is an important development to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza," they said in a joint statement. Shaath, an engineer, is an expert in economic development and reconstruction, according to his biography on the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute's website.

• Phase One of the plan "delivered historic humanitarian aid, maintained the ceasefire, returned all living hostages and the remains of twenty-seven of the twenty-eight deceased hostages," Witkoff said in his post on X. Witkoff said the US expects Hamas to immediately return the final dead hostage as part of its obligations under the deal. "Failure to do so will bring serious consequences," he said.
• While Wednesday's announcement indicates a key step forward, a new government in Gaza will face a number of huge challenges—including the deployment of an international security force to supervise the deal and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.
• Appointees to a technocratic committee are part of a broader plan to end Hamas' 18-year rule of Gaza. The appointees will run day-to-day affairs in Gaza, under the oversight of a Trump-led "Board of Peace," whose members have also not yet been named.
• A US source told Israeli media that with key Hamas backer Iran in crisis, the US believes there is now "a big opportunity to demilitarize Gaza," the Times of Israel reports.