Israel's policy regarding how the war in Gaza will end has taken several blows in recent days, and it appears this will not stop with declarations about establishing three governing and oversight bodies for the Strip. According to American and Arab diplomatic sources, the intention is to move as fast as possible toward stripping Hamas of civilian authority in Gaza, with a target date set for the end of next month.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), whose establishment was announced by envoy Steve Witkoff, is expected to hold its first meeting within days in Cairo. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has prepared offices and infrastructure there to allow the committee to begin operating. According to the plans, the committee will conduct visits to Gaza and hold working meetings, including with Hamas representatives in the Strip, in the coming weeks to advance the transfer of civilian powers. The first meeting is also expected to include Nikolay Mladenov, who will head the international oversight committee and coordinate the work of the Peace Council, the supreme supervisory body chaired by President Donald Trump.
Diplomatic sources say one of the main problems is the extent of coordination with Israel, which objects to the composition of two of the boards. Another major issue is the need for an enforcement body to handle civilian affairs. Egypt is demanding that these police officers come from the Palestinian force that has been trained in Egypt in recent months. Hamas is insisting that members of its own police force be included as well. Israel opposes both options. Without such an enforcement force, the transfer of authority from Hamas would be largely symbolic.
The national committee will be responsible only for areas currently controlled by Hamas and is not meant to operate in territory under IDF control. However, Israeli-controlled areas also include civilian populations, primarily members of clans opposed to Hamas, and it is possible that the board will continue infrastructure work in education, water, sewage and electricity that has already begun in clan-controlled areas. Notably absent from the weekend's announcements is any serious reference to disarming Hamas, the war's most important objective. This omission is a source of deep concern in Israel.
President Donald Trump's announcement on Friday regarding the establishment of bodies to manage and oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip came despite the fact that the war has not ended and Phase 1 has not been completed. In practice, Gaza has been divided into two, with Israel controlling more than half of the territory and Hamas controlling most of the population. The ceasefire is periodically violated by Hamas terrorists, and Israel responds with targeted killings of operatives at command levels. Israel views the return of Rani Guaily, the last abducted fallen soldier, as a threshold condition for moving forward and is meanwhile preventing the reopening of the Rafah crossing.
This week Egypt succeeded in forcing Hamas to accept the composition of the new Palestinian governing body. All 15 "ministers" who will serve in it were approved by Israel following vetting by the Shin Bet security agency. Some of them previously held senior positions in the Palestinian Authority government, meaning the PA is effectively entering Gaza despite Israel's official position opposing the transfer of control of the Strip to Mahmoud Abbas and his associates.
The two other bodies are the Peace Board, chaired by Trump himself, whose members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoys Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair and World Bank President Ajay Banga. Beneath the council is an executive board, an international body tasked with overseeing the work of the 15 members of the Palestinian administration and the process of rehabilitating and demilitarizing the Strip.
The executive board will be headed by former UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov. Its members will again include Witkoff, Kushner and Blair, who also sit on the Peace Council, as well as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, UAE Minister Reem Al Hashimy, who has been heavily involved in aid to displaced people in Gaza, a Qatari minister, Ali Al Thawadi, who has played a central role in mediating ceasefires and hostage deals, former UN Gaza envoy Sigrid Kaag, Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay and others.
Saudi Arabia is notably absent from the lineup, and it appears that Egypt, along with Qatar and Turkey, will wield significant influence. The presence of the Emirati minister is considered good news for Israel. The Emiratis are expected to be responsible for the critical education portfolio, aimed at changing attitudes between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as infrastructure such as water. Two additional American officials, Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Greenbaum, who previously worked with Kushner, will serve as advisers to the executive board.
Until Saturday night, Israel had not objected to these announcements, which were unveiled during a meeting between Trump and Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago. However, criticism over the senior roles given to Qatar and Turkey gained traction, prompting the Prime Minister's Office to issue a statement opposing the composition of the international board. Contradicting that statement, an American official said Israel had been informed in advance about the establishment of the three bodies that would oversee Gaza's rehabilitation and the end of the war.
Sources close to Netanyahu stress that the objection is to the board' composition, particularly the representation of Turkey and Qatar. Israel had opposed the involvement of the two countries in the multinational force that is supposed to enter Gaza, and that objection was accepted by the Americans. In this case, however, the issue is the executive board, whose influence and authority over the rebuilding process are not fully clear. Still, the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is seen as a deliberate provocation from Israel's perspective.
As a result, the Prime Minister's Office statement is largely aimed at domestic politics. Netanyahu is facing criticism from his right-wing coalition partners, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, over the move toward Phase 2, and especially over the inclusion of Palestinian Authority figures in the new administration. Both argue that Israel should take full control of the Strip, impose military rule and reestablish settlements. Smotrich issued a statement on Saturday evening saying: "The original sin is the prime minister's refusal to take responsibility for Gaza, establish a military government, encourage emigration and settlement, and thereby guarantee Israel's security for many years." He also criticized Qatar and Turkey's involvement in the Peace Council and the international governing body.
Despite the statement, Israel is expected, through Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, to lodge a symbolic protest over the announcement of the Palestinian administrative body and perhaps seek to limit its authority. In practice, however, Israel is not expected to stand in the way of the US as it advances steps toward Phase 2.
