Trump: Gaza Peace Council 'Formed'

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the formation of a "Peace Council" for Gaza, as declared in the American plan to end the war in the Palestinian Strip, indicating that with the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, a comprehensive disarmament agreement with Hamas will be reached.

Trump added: "As chairman of the Peace Council, I support the newly appointed Palestinian technocratic government and the National Committee for Gaza Administration, with the support of the Council's High Representative, to manage Gaza during a transitional phase."

Trump said on his "Truth Social" platform, "It is a great honor for me to announce that the Peace Council has been formed," noting that he would reveal the list of council members "soon."

He added: "I can confirm that it is the greatest and most prestigious council ever formed, anywhere, at any time."

The formation of the council comes shortly after the announcement of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee to manage the Gaza Strip after the war.

The committee will operate under the supervision of the Peace Council, which Trump is expected to chair. The plan also stipulates the deployment of an international stabilization force in the Strip and the training of Palestinian police units.

Hamas leader Basem Naim said in a statement on Thursday that "the ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor, and the international community to empower the committee."

The US-backed Gaza peace plan came into effect on October 10, allowing for the return of all hostages held by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and ending the war in the besieged Strip.

Ali Shaath, a Palestinian civil engineer, was chosen to lead the technocratic committee, and he will have the arduous task of guiding the first phase of the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian Strip.

Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov, the UN envoy for the Middle East peace process from early 2015 until the end of 2020, is expected to lead the field operations of the Peace Council.

According to sources, among the countries expected to join the council are the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.

According to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the second phase of the plan, which came into effect on Wednesday, stipulates the "reconstruction" of the Gaza Strip.

On the other hand, Trump affirmed that tariffs are the reason behind the "great financial numbers" achieved by the American economy, noting that US national security is at its strongest today.

Trump said: "We collected hundreds of billions of dollars due to tariffs without actual inflation, and the financial data released today is great, and our country has never achieved better than this."