U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce the second phase, including international oversight and a Palestinian technocratic government, despite Hamas not releasing the hostage Ran Gvili.
Israel National News
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce the implementation of the second phase of the agreement to end the war in Gaza, analyst Barak Ravid reports.
The White House will announce the establishment of the ‘Peace Council for Gaza’, a body that will oversee the situation in the Strip, headed by former UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov.
In addition, a Palestinian technocratic government will be formed to administer Gaza and replace Hamas rule.
The announcement will be made despite Hamas still holding the body of hostage Ran Gvili. The issue of Hamas disarming was not mentioned.
A week ago Netanyahu declared that an agreement had been reached with President Trump under which the Rafah crossing would remain closed as long as the hostage is not returned to Israel.
Israel views the Rafah crossing as one of the most significant and effective bargaining chips remaining in Israel’s hands against the Hamas leadership.
Representatives of the Hostage Families Headquarters voiced alarm over reports that Israel may move to the next phase without Ran Gvili being returned. They urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to honor his commitment to the family not to advance to the next phase until Gvili is brought home, warning that such a move would forfeit a critical source of leverage and could condemn him to permanent disappearance.
Similar concerns were raised by the Tikva Forum, who described any transition to the next phase as a ‘blatant violation of the agreement.’ In a statement, the group said it was ‘inconceivable’ for Israel to proceed to the next stage without the return of Ran Gvili.
The families further cautioned that advancing to a second phase without fully implementing the first would allow Hamas to regroup and rearm, undermining Israel’s security. They appealed to the political leadership to keep its promise, stressing that Gvili’s return must come before any further steps are taken. Only after his return and the defeat of Hamas, they said, should discussions about the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip take place.