The Gaza ceasefire plan is moving to its next phase, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday. This had been widely expected since late December.
In fact, the move was believed to have been postponed and happened a bit after it was originally intended. This is because Gaza is a tough place and a complex situation.
This is unsurprising. The challenges are built into the peace plan. Nevertheless, the move is important.
“Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,” Witkoff wrote on X/Twitter.
“Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” he added. “The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
These are important steps. Naming the new Palestinian technical committee is essential to get things moving in the right direction.
“Importantly, Phase One delivered historic humanitarian aid, maintained the ceasefire, returned all living hostages and the remains of twenty-seven of the twenty-eight deceased hostages,” Witkoff wrote. “We are deeply grateful to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for their indispensable mediation efforts that made all progress to date possible.”
The next phase comes as the remains of one Israeli hostage, M.-Sgt. Ran Gvili, are still being held in Gaza. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with his parents, Tali and Itzik Gvili.
“The Prime Minister clarified that Ran’s return is a top priority and that the declaratory move regarding the establishment of a technocratic committee will not affect the efforts to return Ran for a Jewish burial,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
As the new phase begins, the IDF continues to deal with the same challenges it has dealt with since the ceasefire began in October.
“Following the blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement yesterday [Tuesday], IDF troops eliminated armed terrorists who fired toward IDF soldiers in the Southern Gaza Strip,” the IDF reported Wednesday.
Israel will continue to face these challenges and seek to return the last hostage.
Meanwhile, the new Palestinian technical committee will be formed.
“Hamas has secretly indicated its willingness to accept the disarmament plan,” UAE-based news site Al-Ain News reported, citing several officials who spoke to Axios.
“Any hope of turning the Gaza truce into a lasting peace depends on Hamas giving up its weapons and Israel withdrawing its forces instead of trying to disarm it by force again,” an official said.
Gaza peace plan: Phase two targets disarmament, reconstruction
ISRAEL DOUBTS that Hamas will disarm, and there is currently no definition for what disarmament actually means. Nevertheless, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar are said to be optimistic.
“We have a disarmament plan,” Al-Ain News quoted the official as saying. “The president [Trump] wants to see it happen. Hamas indicates that it will happen. We believe it can be achieved.”
Now, all eyes are on the technocratic government.
“The government is headed by Ali Shaath, the former deputy transport minister in the Palestinian Authority,” Al-Ain News reported.
The plan for disarmament would be implemented in stages and gradually, the report said.
This means removing Hamas weapon factories, uprooting terrorist infrastructure, and destroying missiles and RPGs.
A Gaza police force is also supposed to be rolled out. There had been talk in the past about this force being trained and backed by European countries that have helped train the Palestinian police in the West Bank. Egypt is also involved, according to previous reports.
There are also talks of “amnesty” for some Hamas members, in part because so many Gazans are linked to Hamas.
“Officials stressed that they were aware of the extent of Israeli doubts regarding Hamas’s actual commitment to disarmament, especially in light of the movement’s public declaration that it would not fully disarm until a Palestinian state was established,” Al-Ain News reported.
Another factor in Gaza will be the deployment of the “International Stabilization Force” authorized by the UN Security Council, the report said. The force is expected to be deployed in the areas still under Israeli control in Gaza, allowing for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, it added.
“US officials said several countries have expressed interest in participating in this force, with an announcement expected within two weeks, despite the reluctance of many countries to send their forces to Gaza, especially if they are asked to participate in disarming armed factions,” Al-Ain News reported.
This is a big hurdle because no countries have yet openly stepped up to the plate.
Meanwhile, there are estimates that some $50 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza. So far, the biggest accomplishment has been enabling humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.