Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko are set to join a growing list of global politicians, leaders and businesspeople on Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” to oversee the reconstruction and governance of Gaza.
Russian president Vladimir Putin, the Pope and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are considering invitations to join – potentially making the board one of the most extraordinary gatherings of world leaders ever.
A White House official said about 30 countries were expected to join, and about 50 had been invited.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is expected to decline, and Norway and Sweden already have.
India, Slovenia, Thailand and the European Union's executive arm said they had also received invitations.
Mr Netanyahu on Wednesday confirmed he had agreed to join, despite his earlier criticisms of the committee, which will supervise implementation of US president’s plan for the strip following its bombardment by Israel.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will be key members of the board.
The US president, who will serve as chair, called it “the greatest and most prestigious board ever assembled at any time, any place”.
“The United States remains fully committed to supporting this transitional framework, working in close partnership with Israel, key Arab nations, and the international community to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Plan,” he said in a statement.
A national committee for the administration of Gaza (Ncag), a separate 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee, has also been appointed. The committee’s job will be to run the daily affairs of Gaza following Israeli bombardments, overseen by Ali Sha’ath, a former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority.
“The President calls on all parties to cooperate fully with the NCAG [National Committee for the Administration of Gaza], the Board of Peace, and the International Stabilization Force to ensure the swift and successful implementation of the Comprehensive Plan,” a White House statement said.
The board names do not include any Palestinians. The White House said more members would be announced over the coming weeks.
The White House also named an 11-member “Gaza Executive Board” that will include Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Sigrid Kaag, the United Arab Emirates minister for international cooperation, Reem Al-Hashimy, and Israeli-Cypriot billionaire Yakir Gabay, along with some members of the executive board.
Many rights experts and advocates have previously said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory's governance resembled a colonial structure.
Here are the members of President Trump’s new board:
Benjamin Netanyahu
The Israeli prime minister – whose response to the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on his country has been widely condemned – has been suspected of acting slowly to implement President Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza.
Israel’s war in Gaza has led to the death of more than 70,000 Palestinians and the displacement of almost all of the territory’s 2.3 million population.
An arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been issued against Mr Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
His office had criticised the make-up of the executive committee of the new Board of Peace, saying it was not coordinated with Israel and ran contrary to its policy.
Sir Tony Blair
The former PM remains a divisive figure in the Middle East due to his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He later became a representative of the Quartet, a group seeking peace between Israel and the Palestinians made up of the U.S., E.U., Russia and the United Nations, but stepped down after being deemed too close to Israel.
Sir Tony said in a statement: "I thank President Trump for his leadership in establishing the Board of Peace and am honoured to be appointed to its executive board.
"It's been a real privilege to work with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and their outstanding team.
"I look forward to working with them and other colleagues in line with the president's vision to promote peace and prosperity."
He said the president's 20-point plan for Gaza was an "extraordinary achievement" and that implementing it will take "enormous commitment and hard work".
Steve Witkoff
The US special envoy to the Middle East has also been part of Trump’s delegation leading the efforts to end the war in Ukraine though the US peace proposal.
Earlier this month, Mr Witkoff announced Trump’s phase two of ending the war in Gaza which included the reconstruction and demilitarisation of the besieged strip.
He has travelled to Israel frequently for talks and was present in the country when the ceasefire with Hamas was announced last October.
Jared Kushner
Mr Trump’s son-in-law has played a key role in foreign policy in his current and former administration.
In November, he met with Netanyahu to discuss the sticking points in a peace agreement with Hamas.
But he sparked criticism in 2024 after saying "Gaza's waterfront property could be very valuable... if people would focus on building up livelihoods."
More recently, he has played a crucial role in the US-led peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
Marco Rubio
The US Secretary of State is central to Mr Trump’s foreign policy.
In October, he took part in negotiations with Israel to broker a ceasefire with Hamas.
He is also the acting administrator of the US Agency for International Development, the acting archivist for the National Archives and Records Administration and Trump’s interim national security adviser.
Marc Rowan and others
Also on the board are billionaire Marc Rowan - the CEO of Apollo Global Management, an American asset management firm.
Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, is also on the board. Mr Banga has advised several US politicians in his career.
Robert Gabriel, a US national security adviser, is also on the board having worked with the US president since his 2016 campaign.
Nickolay Mladenov, a Bulgarian politician and former UN Middle East envoy, has been tasked with being the board's representative on the ground in Gaza.
Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan was sent a letter from Trump inviting him to join the board, the Turkish presidency announced.
Egypt is also reviewing an invitation for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to join the board, the country’s foreign minister said.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of ceasefire violations in Gaza, where more than 450 Palestinians, including over 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed during the truce.
Israel's assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced Gaza's entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say this amounts to genocide.
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