Israel has objected to US President Donald Trump’s announcement of American leaders who will help oversee the next steps in Gaza.
Israel said the Gaza executive committee “was not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy”, without providing details.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Foreign Ministry to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his office said.
The committee announced by the White House on Friday includes no Israeli officials but has an Israeli businessperson, billionaire Yakir Gabay.
Other members announced so far include two of Mr Trump’s closest confidants, a former British prime minister, a US general and representatives of several Middle Eastern governments.
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
The White House said the executive committee would carry out the vision of a Trump-led “Board of Peace”, whose members have not yet been named.
The White House also announced the members of a new Palestinian committee to run Gaza’s day-to-day affairs, with oversight from the executive committee.
The Palestinian committee met for the first time on Thursday in Cairo.
The executive committee’s members include Mr Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel.
Committee members also include a diplomat from Qatar, an intelligence chief from Egypt and Türkiye’s foreign minister — all countries have been ceasefire mediators — as well as a cabinet minister for the United Arab Emirates.
Türkiye has a strained relationship with Israel but good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the group to yield power and disarm.
Hamas has said it will dissolve its government in Gaza once the new Palestinian committee takes office, but it has shown no sign that it will dismantle its military wing or security forces.
Mr Netanyahu’s office didn’t respond on Saturday to questions about its objections regarding the executive committee.
Minutes after the statement was released, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued a statement backing Mr Netanyahu and urging him to order the military to prepare to return to war.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right Netanyahu ally, said on social media that “the countries that kept Hamas alive cannot be the ones that replace it”.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest militant group after Hamas, in a statement on Saturday also expressed dissatisfaction with the make-up of the Gaza executive committee and claimed it reflected Israeli “specifications”.
Ceasefire plan for Gaza moving to second phase
The Trump administration said the US-drafted ceasefire plan for Gaza was now moving to its second phase, which includes the new Palestinian committee in Gaza, deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of the war-battered territory.
The ceasefire in the deadliest war ever fought between Israel and Hamas took effect on October 10.
The first phase focused on the return of all remaining hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees, along with a surge in humanitarian aid and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza.
In January, Israel banned dozens of aid organisations from operating in Gaza.
The war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 250 hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 71,400 Palestinians, including more than 460 since this ceasefire began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies.
Source: AP
- Agencies
