The US on Wednesday announced the beginning of phase two of the 20-point Gaza peace plan.
The second phase establishes a “transitional technocratic Palestinian administration” – the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza – and begins the full demilitarisation and reconstruction of the enclave.
“The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage,” US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said in a post on X. “Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
Palestinian factions meeting in Egypt reached agreement on the 12 members of the technocratic Palestinian committee to run Gaza's day-to-day affairs, sources familiar with the process told The National on Wednesday.
Mr Witkoff said that the first phase “delivered historic humanitarian aid, maintained the ceasefire, returned all living hostages and the remains of 27 of the 28 deceased hostages”.
He added that the US was “deeply grateful” to Egypt, Turkey and Qatar for their mediation efforts.
"This is a great milestone today," a senior US official told journalists on a call on Wednesday.
The official said the next step would be to engage with Hamas to demilitarise and discuss amnesty for those who agree.
Board of Peace invitations were sent to several countries on Wednesday. There had been a very overwhelming response, and US President Donald Trump was personally selecting who would be on it.
"There's clearly not a lot of trust between both sides after decades of conflict, but today is a huge step forward," the official said.
Another US official said Mr Trump may announce who will be part of the Board of Peace during the Davos World Economic Forum next week.
"It feels a little bit like it was meant to be," the official said. "We're just really excited to continue the implementation phase."
A ceasefire in October halted two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The war began when Hamas and other groups launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in about 240 being taken hostage.
In retaliation, Israel began a large-scale campaign in Gaza that levelled most of the coastal enclave and killed at least 71,000 people. The UN and several countries have called Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to strike, killing more than 400 people, including children, local authorities have reported.
Mr Trump in October unveiled a 20-point plan aimed at bringing long-term peace to Gaza. It includes the establishment of a Gaza “Board of Peace” – which he plans to chair – and an international stabilisation force that will train Palestinian security forces and keep the peace.
Members of the Palestinian committee will meet on Thursday in Egypt to review its mandate, briefs and priorities, sources said. “Invitations have been sent out to the members and some of them already arrived in Egypt,” said one of the sources.
The Palestinian technocratic committee will be led by Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath, according to a joint statement from the governments of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that hailed its formation.
The other committee members will be in charge of a wide range of portfolios that include finance, water and local councils, judiciary, security, health and agriculture, according to the sources.
“The mediators stress the necessity for all parties to fully commit to implementing the agreement in order to attain a sustainable peace and create the appropriate conditions for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip,” the countries said.
