Israel objects to US announcement of leaders who will help oversee next steps in Gaza – Chicago Tribune

NAHARIYA, Israel — The Israeli government is objecting to the White House’s announcement of leaders who will play a role in overseeing the next steps in Gaza as the ceasefire enters its difficult second phase.

Israel’s rare criticism of its close ally in Washington says the Gaza executive committee “has not been coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policies,” without elaborating. Saturday’s statement also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Foreign Ministry to contact Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The committee announced Friday by the White House does not include any Israeli official but an Israeli businessman, billionaire Yakir Gabay. Other members announced so far include two of US President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, a former British prime minister, a US general and representatives of several Middle Eastern governments.

The White House said the executive committee would implement the vision of a Trump-led “Peace Council,” whose members have not yet been named. The White House also announced the composition of a new Palestinian committee to manage daily affairs in Gaza, under the supervision of the executive committee. The Palestinian committee met for the first time on Thursday in Cairo.

Executive committee members include Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Trump’s deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.

Committee members also include a diplomat from Qatar, an Egyptian intelligence chief and the foreign minister of Turkey – all countries mediated the ceasefire – as well as a minister from the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey has tense relations with Israel but good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the group to cede power and disarm. Hamas has announced it will dissolve its government in Gaza once the new Palestinian committee takes office, but it has shown no signs it will dismantle its military wing or security forces.

Netanyahu’s office did not respond Saturday to questions about his objections to the executive committee.

Minutes after his statement, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir backed Netanyahu and urged him to order the army to prepare to return to war. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, another far-right ally of Netanyahu, said on social media that “the countries that kept Hamas alive cannot be the ones to replace it.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest fighting group after Hamas, also expressed dissatisfaction in a statement Saturday with the composition of Gaza’s executive committee and claimed it reflected Israeli “specifications.”

The Trump administration said Wednesday that the U.S.-developed ceasefire plan for Gaza is now entering its second phase, which includes the creation of a new Palestinian committee in Gaza, the deployment of an international security force, the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of the war-ravaged territory.

The last hostage, Ran Gvili in Gaza, was killed in the attack that started the war. On Saturday, his parents, Talik and Itzik Gvili, said in a statement that they were “deeply concerned about the efforts aimed at the rehabilitation of Gaza” when Hamas had not fulfilled its obligation to repatriate everyone.

The ceasefire in the deadliest war ever between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10. The first phase focused on the return of all remaining hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees, as well as an increase in humanitarian aid and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 250 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 71,400 Palestinians, including more than 460 since the start of this ceasefire, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, keeps detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.

Associated Press writer Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed.