The US envoy announces the launch of Phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire agreement
Listen to this article
Average 3 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
The special envoy of the American President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, announced on Wednesday the launch of Phase 2 of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza with the establishment of a Palestinian administration in the enclave.
Witkoff said on social media X that the end-of-war agreement is entering a phase focused on destroying Gaza, establishing a technocratic government and rebuilding.
He did not provide details on Wednesday about the new Palestinian interim administration that will rule Gaza.
“The US expects Hamas to fully comply with its obligations, including the immediate return of the last dead. Failure to do so will have dire consequences,” Witkoff said.
While Wednesday’s announcement marks an important step forward, the new government in Gaza and the end of the war face many challenges – including the deployment of an international security force to oversee the deal and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.
The technical committee appointees are part of a broader plan to end the 18-year rule of Hamas in Gaza. Their names have not been released, but they will run daily affairs in the area under the Trump-led “Peace Board,” whose members have also not been released.
The ceasefire reached under Trump’s 20-point plan went into effect in October. The Ministry of Health in Gaza says that more than 440 people were killed by Israeli fire and their bodies were brought to hospitals since then. Of the 440, at least 100 were children, according to UNICEF.
About 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in early October, UNICEF spokesman James Elder said. The number represents only cases where sufficient information is available, and could be much higher, he said, especially as more severe winter weather approaches.
Under the first phase of the deal, Hamas released all but one of its detainees in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel.
The technical committee that Witkoff said will be established under the second phase will provide public services to the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, but faces major challenges and unanswered questions, including its operation and funding.
The United Nations estimates that rebuilding will cost more than $50 billion. The process is expected to take years, and little money has been pledged so far.
There is also the immediate challenge of figuring out how to recover basic services after nearly two decades of Hamas-led rule in Gaza and repeated conflicts with Israel.
