Washington, Jan 17 (V7N) — The United States has announced the members of the ‘Board of Peace’, which will oversee the interim administration of Gaza, but the list does not include any Palestinian representative among its executive members.

The names were disclosed in a White House statement on Friday (January 16). According to the statement, each member of the board will be entrusted with a “very important role” in ensuring stability and the long-term success of Gaza.

The Board of Peace will be led by US President Donald Trump. The executive members include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi.

Also included on the board are Apollo Management CEO Mark Rowan, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and US Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov has been appointed as the High Representative for Gaza. The board will supervise a technocratic administration aimed at stabilizing the war-ravaged territory, the statement said.

President Trump had earlier announced the formation of the board in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday.

The US-led peace initiative was first implemented in October last year and has now entered its second phase. However, the future governance of Gaza and the fate of its approximately 2.1 million Palestinian residents remain uncertain.

As part of the first phase, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, which included a hostage exchange, partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and increased humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli attacks since the war began on October 7, 2023, has surpassed 71,260.

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