Ammon News - The Trump administration will announce Wednesday the U.S. is moving to the next step of its Gaza plan and name a committee of Palestinians to temporarily run the bombed-out enclave, U.S. officials said.

Since a fragile cease-fire in Gaza is holding and Hamas has returned all but one deceased hostage, U.S. officials assess that they can now shift from halting the conflict to governing and rebuilding the territory, which the administration labels Phase 2 of its 20-point blueprint.

They aim to follow the senior announcements with “quick wins” enabled by Israel, said four people with knowledge of the plans, including the full reopening of the Rafah crossing to Egypt; more medical support for Palestinians; and the loosening of import restrictions to Gaza.

Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian defence minister and UN envoy, is set to be announced as “high representative” for the shattered strip, said people familiar with the situation. Mladenov, a highly regarded diplomat, will oversee the work of a 14-member Palestinian technocratic committee on day-to-day governance.

Keir Starmer has been offered a place on the Gaza “peace board” set up by Donald Trump as part of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

The prime minister was asked to sit on the board by a senior member of the Trump administration. The Guardian has been told that Starmer is expected to accept but has not yet received a formal invitation, while conversations about the exact makeup of the board are continuing.

Starmer has cultivated a good relationship with the US president, despite their differences of opinion on the UK’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine last year.

The board is expected to temporarily oversee the running of Gaza and manage its reconstruction. It will be made up of world leaders, with US media reports suggesting Trump could announce its membership as early as this week.

Wall Street Journal + The Guardian