On January 14 (US time), President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced that Washington launched the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, opening up a process of complete demilitarization and reconstruction of the strip of land, with a focus on disarmament of all illegal armed subjects.
According to Mr. Witkoff, phase two was deployed after phase one of the ceasefire agreement began on October 10, 2025. Phase one includes Hamas and its allies returning Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners captured by Israel. During this time, the Israeli army withdrew part of its troops across the Golden Border but still controlled most of Gaza territory.
In phase two, the US will establish a "national committee managing Gaza", including Palestinian experts, to take over the management of the strip during the transition period.
Mr. Witkoff did not specify the names of the committee members and said that the agency could only start operating after being empowered from the "peace council" headed by Mr. Donald Trump. This council has not yet been established.
Mr. Witkoff emphasized that the US expects Hamas to fully fulfill its obligations under the agreement, including the immediate return of the remains of the deceased hostages. He warned that if it does not comply, Hamas will face serious consequences.
Although the US has not announced details about the Gaza management committee, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that the parties have agreed on a list of 15 members to participate in this body. The two figures mentioned as potential candidates to head the committee are Mr. Ali Shaath, former Palestinian government official, and Mr. Majed Abu Ramadan, head of the Palestinian health agency.
According to diplomats in the region, the committee's activities are expected to be supervised by Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, a veteran Bulgarian diplomat who used to work for the United Nations.
Mr. Mladenov is promoting contacts between Palestinian and Israeli officials, and will report directly to Mr. Trump's peace council. US officials said the list of members of this council will be announced in the next few days.
During the implementation of phase one of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have decreased in intensity but have not completely ended, killing about 450 Palestinians. To date, the parties have not reached an agreement on Hamas disarmament.
