TEL AVIV — Two of President Trump’s closest confidants, a former British prime minister, a U.S. general and a collection of top officials from Middle Eastern governments are at the forefront of the U.S. ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip.
The White House last week announced the members of a new Palestinian committee to run Gaza’s day-to-day affairs, along with an executive committee of international experts who will supervise these efforts. They include people with strong connections across the region and varying degrees of leverage with Israel and Hamas.
The entire effort will be overseen by a “Board of Peace,” a collection of world leaders led by Trump whose other members have yet to be named.
The appointments mark an important step forward for the ambitious U.S. transitional plan for Gaza. The White House last week said the plan had entered its second phase, which includes the new Palestinian committee in Gaza, deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of the war-battered territory.
Here’s a closer look at the appointments of the executive committee:
Nickolay Mladenov
Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician and former U.N. envoy to the Middle East, will serve as the “high representative” for Gaza. He will act as the on-the-ground link between the Board of Peace and the Palestinian technocratic committee.
Ali Shaath
Shaath has been named as head of the new Palestinian committee administering Gaza’s daily affairs. Shaath, an engineer, is a Gaza native who previously served as deputy transportation minister for the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
Marco Rubio
Rubio is the U.S. secretary of State and national security advisor, putting him at the center of American foreign policy.
Steve Witkoff
Witkoff has served as the White House Mideast envoy during Trump’s second term in office. A real estate developer and close friend of the president, he was a key architect of the ceasefire plan, which took effect Oct. 10.
Jared Kushner
Kushner is Trump’s son-in-law who has long been a key foreign policy advisor to Trump. Kushner was a driving force in the Abraham Accords, a series of diplomatic agreements between Israel and Arab countries during Trump’s first term. Kushner has returned to the White House as an important player in pushing forward the new ceasefire.
Tony Blair
The British prime minister from 1997 to 2007, Blair has decades of experience in the Middle East. He took the United Kingdom into the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 despite strong public opposition. He later served as Middle East envoy for the “Quartet” of Mideast mediators — the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. The post began with great promise but struggled to deliver results in its quest to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers
Jeffers has been appointed commander of the International Stabilization Force, an on-the-ground multinational force meant to enforce and guarantee the ceasefire. Jeffers previously served as head of the U.S. military’s special operations command and oversaw implementation of the 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hakan Fidan
Fidan has been the Turkish foreign minister since 2023 and is close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Although Turkey has a strained relationship with Israel, it has good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the Islamic group to yield power and disarm.
Ali Al-Thawadi
Al-Thawadi is a diplomat from Qatar, which has been a key mediator between Israel and Hamas throughout the war. Qatar’s government calls him a key figure in efforts that contributed to the release of several hostages and says he played a “central role” in Qatar’s contribution to the U.S. ceasefire plan.
Gen. Hassan Rashad
Rashad is the director of Egypt’s intelligence agency. Egypt borders Israel and Gaza and, like Qatar, has been a key mediator throughout the war.
Reem Al-Hashimy
Al-Hashimy is a Cabinet minister for the United Arab Emirates. The wealthy Gulf country has strong ties with Israel and is expected to play an important role in Gaza’s reconstruction process.
Ajay Banga
Banga is the president of the World Bank. Born in India, Banga, since moving to the U.S. in the early 2000s, has held prestigious positions in the corporate world, including heading Mastercard and serving as director of Exor and Temasek, large holding companies.
Marc Rowan
Rowan is a co-founder, chief executive and chairman of Apollo Global Management, a U.S. asset management firm. The billionaire businessman is also a philanthropist who has supported projects in Israel, the U.S. Jewish community and the University of Pennsylvania, where he and Trump studied.
Sigrid Kaag
Kaag, the Netherlands’ former deputy prime minister, has served as the United Nations coordinator for humanitarian aid to Gaza since the war erupted in late 2023.
Robert Gabriel
Gabriel served as a policy advisor on Trump’s first presidential campaign and currently is deputy national security advisor.
Yakir Gabay
Gabay is an Israeli billionaire who is a major shareholder in Aroundtown, a global real estate group. He previously was chief executive of the investment arm of Israel’s largest bank, Leumi. Gabay’s presence gives Israel an unofficial representative on the executive board.
Mednick writes for the Associated Press.
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