The news site Axios has received detailed information from informed sources in both the United States and other Western countries that the peace process could soon enter phase two.
The information comes after Israel on Wednesday returned the remains of Sudthisak Rinthalak, the penultimate person missing after the mass kidnappings when Palestinian extremist groups started the war in 2023.
Exchanging all remains has been perhaps the biggest point in phase one of the peace plan from October, which is why Donald Trump now wants to move forward, according to the sources.
Israeli forces have currently withdrawn from about half of the Gaza Strip, and phase two involves them pulling back further. A new international force, the ISF, is to enter in its place.
And the structure for Gaza's political governance is to be established. It is to be led by Trump himself, as chairman of a "peace board." Under it is to be an "international board" including Britain's Tony Blair, and under it a technocratic Palestinian government.
"We're aiming to present this before everyone goes on Christmas break," a source told Axios.
Henrik Samuelsson/TT
Facts: The next phase in Gaza
TT
According to the peace plan, a new transitional government will take over the Gaza Strip. The government consists of several layers.
+ At the top sits a “peace board”, consisting of the US president and several other heads of state and government.
+ Below it, and more involved in day-to-day matters, there will be an “international executive board.” It will include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as Trump advisors Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
+ The third tier will be a Palestinian technocratic government, meaning people chosen based on their expertise rather than politics. They should be experienced, but at the same time not have ties to any Palestinian political groups, which makes selection difficult. According to Axios, they started with a list of 25 names, but about half of them have been eliminated.
