A senior Hamas official confirmed to CNN on Friday that Hamas reached an agreement with the Board of Peace to relinquish its weapons, subject to Israeli actions.
But what exactly is the Board of Peace?
Remember: Trump had initially floated the Board of Peace as part of a second phase of the US-brokered 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan in September.
The United Nations Security Council backed the plan in November — giving it international legitimacy — with a mandate for the board to oversee the demilitarization and rebuilding of Gaza.
But Trump had longer-term plans. The charter draft, obtained by CNN, describes the Board of Peace as an “international organization” promoting stability, peace and governance “in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
Trump will serve as chairman of the board indefinitely, according to the charter, possibly holding the post beyond his second term as president.
Its members include: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and several other world leaders.
The Board of Peace will also sit above a “founding Executive Board” that includes Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and former British prime minister Tony Blair.
Early this month, the board wrapped up two days of what it called “highly productive” meetings in Cyprus. The meetings — which included experts, advisers and the Palestinian technocratic committee intended to run Gaza — focused on “what can be done immediately” to “ease conditions on the ground.” The group said it reviewed plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, security and governance.
CNN’s Mustafa Qadri, Tal Shalev and Ibrahim Dahman contributed to this report.
