U.S. Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Mike Waltz, in an exclusive interview with "Al-Quds".. We are in contact with the Palestinian leadership and are seriously pursuing the path aimed at achieving peace

Washington will soon announce the formation of a "Gaza Peace Council"
The current phase focuses on ensuring the entry of urgent relief to save the residents of Gaza
The United States is pushing for the formation of a stabilization force to address the "Yellow Line problem"
Rebuilding Gaza will require billions of dollars, and the whole world will participate in paying for it


In the first statement to a Palestinian newspaper, U.S. Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz revealed, during an exclusive interview with the newspaper "Al-Quds" yesterday, that Washington has not yet officially announced the formation of a "Gaza Peace Council," despite estimates that a number of countries will soon join this new framework.
Waltz explained that the council to be formed comes with a mandate from the Security Council to oversee the process led by U.S. President Donald Trump, aimed at reconstruction through a Palestinian technocratic government, and working to rebuild infrastructure and basic services with the support of the World Bank and the international community.
Waltz told the newspaper "Al-Quds" yesterday, Wednesday, during his visit to occupied Jerusalem, that there is no official announcement yet about the formation of a "Gaza Peace Council," but it is expected that a number of countries will join it in the coming period. Waltz explained that the Security Council authorized this council to oversee the process led by President Trump, which is based on three main stages.
At the forefront of this stage is providing funding through the World Bank, allowing the international community to support reconstruction efforts and the various tasks assigned to the transitional authority, composed of a Palestinian technocratic government, starting with rebuilding basic infrastructure, passing through sanitation, water and electricity sectors, and reaching the re-establishment of vital government services.
He added: The Peace Council will oversee these tasks, and it will be officially announced soon.
He added to "Al-Quds": There will be a clear mechanism in this regard. I met with Mr. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations, and the Palestinian team working with him during the Security Council negotiations, to ensure that their voice is fully heard, and the last contact with them was immediately before this visit.
Waltz confirmed the existence of a high level of communication with the Palestinian side, explaining that the United States is in contact with the leadership in Ramallah, whether through the Palestinian Authority or through the transitional authority, in addition to its communication with the relevant government agencies.
Regarding humanitarian aid, Waltz explained that "the current phase focuses on ensuring the entry of urgent relief to save the residents of Gaza," welcoming the decision to reopen the King Hussein Bridge, which he described as the Jordanian humanitarian corridor.
He added that during his recent visit to Amman, he reviewed the United Nations and UNICEF warehouses stacked with medicines and relief materials, noting that the United States provided more than $100 million to build these warehouses, in addition to $50 million to purchase a new fleet of trucks.
He confirmed that all logistical arrangements are ready, and that Washington is demanding that the Israeli government remove bureaucratic obstacles and provide the necessary mechanisms to enable the trucks to leave.
He pointed out that aid convoys are already moving towards Gaza, with the application of the required security measures to ensure that they reach those who deserve them.
He added: "I would like to emphasize that the number of trucks heading to Gaza now exceeds what was required within the peace plan; in the past three weeks, the number has exceeded 4,200 trucks. We expect a further increase this month, and the numbers last week reached more than 100 trucks per day, compared to what the situation was a month ago, this is a significant increase, and we are making a great effort to deliver aid. During my visit to Jordan, I saw tents on trucks at the Allenby Bridge, and I look forward to seeing them reach Gaza."
He continued: "During my visit, I spoke with American experts and engineers who are working with the Egyptians, Jordanians and others to remove rubble in Gaza, remove unexploded ordnance, and prepare the necessary spaces for setting up tents and temporary houses."
Waltz pointed out that the United States is working to push for the formation of a stabilization force to address what is known as the "Yellow Line problem," noting that there are advanced talks with Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Italy and a number of other countries in this regard. According to the American plan, the deployment of the stabilization force is supposed to coincide with the withdrawal of Israeli army forces from the areas concerned.
In the next phase of the peace process, he explained that the United States knows that the "Hamas" movement knows the locations of the bodies of the dead, and they must be handed over, as this is a basic condition for moving to the second phase, but today we are working on the ground; the number of trucks has increased from zero to more than 600 trucks per day during the past three weeks, and rubble removal operations are taking place in Gaza.
Waltz says: "We are not waiting, but rather working to create the conditions for bringing in temporary shelters and securing food for the people, while ensuring that aid reaches those who deserve it, and is not used to make the "Hamas" movement wealthy, which is the most difficult aspect of the process but it is necessary, and we are determined to make it succeed."
He continued: Rebuilding Gaza will require billions of dollars, and the whole world will participate in paying for it. The United States will also contribute, as it is the largest humanitarian donor in the world, and the largest supporter of the United Nations. As a country that leads the free world, we see it as our duty to help the people here, and we are determined to do so.
Regarding the weapons of the "Hamas" movement, Waltz stressed that the movement is required to give up its weapons, stressing that President Trump clearly expressed this position, and that the disarmament process will take place "one way or another." He explained that the matter is not limited to the American position only, but also enjoys the support of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and the Palestinian Authority, noting that all these parties have announced their explicit support for the plan.
Waltz addressed a message to the Palestinian people, calling on them to hold on to hope, stressing that President Trump and his administration are seriously pursuing the path aimed at achieving peace, in what he described as the best opportunity in many years. He said: The whole world is looking forward to consolidating the ceasefire, noting that the demand to release the Israeli detainees has been fulfilled, and that the truce is still holding so far, while aid trucks continue to enter the sector.
He added: The plan presented by the United States received broad support in the Security Council with a vote of 13 countries without opposition, stressing Washington's determination to implement it.
He pointed to the existence of 21 countries within the International Coordination Center to follow up on the implementation of the plan, improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza, and put an end to the ongoing cycle of violence.