On January 14, US Envoy Steve Witkoff announced that the Gaza ceasefire plan was moving to its next phase. This had been widely expected since late December.
The move was believed to have been postponed and to have occurred slightly later than originally planned, due to the challenging conditions and complex situation in Gaza. The challenges are built into the peace plan. However, the move is important.
Witkoff wrote on X that “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.”
He added, “Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel. The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
These are important steps. Naming the new Palestinian technical committee is essential to guiding the movement in the right direction. “Importantly, Phase One delivered historic humanitarian aid, maintained the ceasefire, returned all living hostages, and the remains of twenty-seven of the twenty-eight deceased hostages. We are deeply grateful to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for their indispensable mediation efforts that made all progress to date possible,” Witkoff said.
Gaza peace plan: Phase two targets disarmament, reconstruction
The next phase comes as one Israeli hostage's body is still held in Gaza. On January 14, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Tali and Itzik Gvili, the parents of the fallen hostage Master-Sgt. Ran Gvili. He is the last hostage held in Gaza. “The Prime Minister clarified that Ran's return is a top priority and that the declaratory move regarding the establishment of a technocratic committee will not affect the efforts to return Ran for a Jewish burial,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
As the new phase begins, the IDF continues to face the same challenges it has since the ceasefire began in October. The IDF said on January 14 that “following the blatant Violation of the ceasefire agreement Yesterday (Tuesday), IDF troops eliminated armed terrorists who fired toward IDF soldiers in the Southern Gaza Strip.” Israel will continue to face these challenges and seek to return the last hostage.
Meanwhile, the new Palestinian technical committee will be formed, and the Regional Arab media is hopeful for the next phase in Gaza. "Hamas has secretly indicated its willingness to accept the disarmament plan,” a report at the UAE’s Al-Ain media said. According to the report, this is based on comments from several officials to Axios.
“Any hope of turning the Gaza truce into a lasting peace depends on Hamas giving up its weapons and Israel withdrawing its forces instead of trying to disarm it by force again,” an official said.
Israel doubts that Hamas will disarm, and there is currently no definition for what disarmament actually means, although Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar are optimistic. "We have a disarmament plan. The president (Trump) wants to see it happen. Hamas indicates that it will happen. We believe it can be achieved,” the official said.
All eyes are now on the technocratic government. “The government is headed by Ali Shaath, the former deputy transport minister in the Palestinian Authority,” Al-Ain noted. The report also said that the plan for disarmament will be implemented in stages and “gradually.” This means removing Hamas's weapon factories and uprooting terrorist infrastructure, as well as destroying missiles and RPGs.
A Gaza police force is also expected to be established. There had been a past conversation about this force being trained and backed by European countries that have helped train the Palestinian police in the West Bank. Egypt is also involved, according to previous reports.
There are talks of “amnesty” for some Hamas members being held, in part because so many people in Gaza are linked to Hamas. “Officials stressed that they were aware of the extent of Israeli doubts regarding Hamas’s actual commitment to disarmament, especially in light of the movement’s public declaration that it would not fully disarm until a Palestinian state was established,” Al-Ain added.
Another factor in Gaza will be the deployment of the "International Stabilization Force," authorized by the UN Security Council, which is expected to be deployed in the areas still under Israeli control in Gaza, allowing for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces, the report added.
“US officials said several countries have expressed interest in participating in this force, with an announcement expected within two weeks, despite the reluctance of many countries to send their forces to Gaza, especially if they are asked to participate in disarming armed factions.” This is a significant hurdle because, so far, no countries have stepped up.
Meanwhile, estimates suggest that approximately $50 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza. So far, the biggest accomplishment has been facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.