Anti-clockwise left to right) Jared Kushner, Tony Blair, Ajay Banga, Robert Gabriel, Steve Witkoff and Marc Rowan
US President Donald Trump invited the Presidents of Egypt and Turkey to be a part of the controversial Gaza peace board, the leaders said on Saturday, January 17, a day after the White House released a list of seven people who will “redevelop” the besieged Strip.
The “Board of Peace” for Gaza is touted as a “redevelopment” under Trump’s comprehensive plan to end the conflict.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Trump has sent them a letter inviting them to become members of the Gaza board.
On the Board of Peace are Indian-American president of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former UK prime minister Tony Blair, private equity firm Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan and US Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel.
Trump will head the board as its chairman.
The White House said the board comprises leaders with “experience across diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy.”
“Each Executive Board member will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilisation and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation,” it added.
None of the current board members are either Palestinian, Arab or Muslim, journalist Mehdi Hassan said in a post on X. “Only one non-American: Tony Blair,” he said.
To establish security and a durable terror-free environment, Major General Jasper Jeffers, Commander of the US Special Operations Command Central, has been appointed Commander of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF).
He will lead security operations, support comprehensive demilitarisation and enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials, the White House said.
“The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan,” it said.
Trump has called on all parties to cooperate fully with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the Board of Peace, and the ISF to ensure swift implementation of the plan.
The NCAG has been described as a vital step in implementing Phase 2 of Trump’s comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, a 20-point roadmap aimed at lasting peace, stability, reconstruction and prosperity in the region.
According to the plan, if both sides agree, the “war will immediately end.”
Israeli forces will withdraw to an agreed-upon line to prepare for the release of hostages, while all military operations, including aerial and artillery strikes, will be suspended.
Battle lines will remain frozen until conditions are met for a complete staged withdrawal.
However, most of the objectives set during the first phase of the ceasefire brokered by the United States between Israel and Hamas were not met.
The first phase of the ceasefire was supposed to immediately halt the fighting and facilitate the exchange of Israeli and Palestinian hostages. The fighting has not stopped, with Israel continuing to violate the ceasefire and killing and injuring Palestinian civilians almost every day. Over 440 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 1,200 have been injured since the ceasefire began in October 2025.
Israel was also allowed full humanitarian aid into the Strip. Instead, the country continues to restrict aid. According to the Gaza Government Media Office, from October 10, 2025, to January 9 this year, only 23,019 trucks have entered Gaza out of nearly 54,000.
The Rafah crossing, the main border between Gaza and Egypt, remains closed by Israeli forces, violating a key objective of the first phase of the ceasefire.
The only objective met was Hamas’s return of the captive hostages to Israel.
The Board of Peace initiative also envisaged a “Trump economic development plan” to rebuild and revitalise Gaza by convening a panel of experts involved in developing modern “miracle cities” in the Middle East.
As per the plan, investment proposals and development ideas from international groups will be considered to align security and governance frameworks, thereby attracting investment and generating jobs and opportunities.
It also proposes the establishment of a special economic zone with preferential tariffs and access rates to be negotiated with participating countries.
“No one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return. We will encourage people to stay and offer them the opportunity to build a better Gaza,” the plan states.
Meanwhile, the Board of Peace members met for the first time on Friday, January 16, in Cairo, Egypt, as its leaders pledged to get to work quickly to improve conditions there.
(With PTI inputs)
This post was last modified on January 18, 2026 12:30 am