US envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday declared the start of “phase two” of the Trump administration’s plan to end Israel’s genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip, about three months after Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire deal that the IDF has constantly violated.
“Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,” Witkoff wrote on X.
Witkoff said the second phase establishes an independent Palestinian committee, dubbed the “National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG),” that will oversee the governance of Gaza under US oversight. Egyptian officials said the committee will include 15 members, whose names are expected to be announced soon.
The US envoy said phase two also “begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” and warned that the US “expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage” or there will be “serious consequences.”
Hamas has agreed to turn over governance to an independent Palestinian committee, but it has maintained it won’t disarm unless there’s an establishment of a Palestinian state or movement in that direction. Hamas has suggested it’s open to “freezing” its weapons, but it’s unclear if the US and Israel would accept a temporary disarmament, as Israel is reportedly planning to launch a new offensive to take over Gaza City if Hamas doesn’t give up all of its weapons.
Notably, Witkoff’s statement didn’t mention the international force that, under the White House’s 20-point plan, would be deployed to Gaza to replace IDF troops. Countries initially willing to participate have been hesitant to commit troops over concerns that their soldiers could end up fighting Hamas on behalf of Israel. Witkoff also made no mention of a further Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as IDF troops continue to occupy more than 50% of the Palestinian territory, an arrangement Israeli officials have been clear they want to be permanent.
Witkoff also claimed that “phase one” of the US’s Gaza plan “maintained the ceasefire,” but the IDF has killed at least 449 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire was supposed to go into effect on October 10, according to numbers released by Gaza’s Health Ministry on Wednesday.
