U.S. President Donald Trump has extended invitations to a growing list of countries and political figures to participate in a newly established “Peace Council” for Gaza, a body intended to oversee the temporary governance and stabilization of the Palestinian enclave following the implementation of a fragile ceasefire.
According to euronews, Greece and Cyprus are among the countries invited to join the council, marking a notable expansion of their diplomatic role in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The two countries are reported to be among the 25 founding members of the council, which also includes states that took part in the historic Sharm El Sheikh ceremony, such as France, Canada, Gulf countries, and Turkey.
The Turkish presidency confirmed on Saturday that President Trump formally invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to become a founding member of the council. In a post on X, Turkish communications director Burhanettin Duran said Trump sent the letter on January 16, 2026, in his capacity as founding president of the Peace Council.
The White House has already announced part of the council’s leadership structure. Trump will chair the body, while the “founding executive council” includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, World Bank President Ajay Banga, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, and presidential adviser Robert Gabriel.
Each member of the executive council will oversee a specific portfolio deemed critical to Gaza’s long-term stabilization, including governance, reconstruction, regional relations, investment promotion, large-scale financing, and capital mobilization. Trump described the body as the “most important and most distinguished” council ever formed, according to a White House statement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also named as a member of the Executive Council for Gaza, underscoring Ankara’s central role in the initiative.
Meanwhile, Egypt is weighing Trump’s invitation to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to participate in the Peace Council. Egypt’s foreign minister confirmed during a press conference that Cairo is reviewing the proposal, reflecting Egypt’s pivotal position in Gaza-related diplomacy and border security.
Governance and Security Framework
The creation of the Peace Council is part of the second phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan and is based on UN Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted in November. The council is tasked with international oversight of Gaza’s transitional process and with supporting stabilization efforts until the full implementation of the agreement.
Two additional transitional bodies have been established to reinforce the council’s mandate:
- An Executive Committee, responsible for implementing the political and operational aspects of the Gaza agreement.
- A Palestinian national technocratic committee, charged with the temporary administration of Gaza during the transitional period.
Former Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov has been appointed as High Representative for Gaza, responsible for coordinating the Peace Council and the transitional bodies. The White House also announced that U.S. General Jasper Jeffers will command the planned International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is expected to be deployed in the enclave.
Reconstruction and Ongoing Tensions
The technocratic Palestinian committee has already begun work. Its chairman, Ali Shaath, an engineer and former deputy minister of the Palestinian Authority, told al‑Qahera News that Gaza’s reconstruction will be “substantially based” on the Egyptian and Arab-Islamic plan adopted in March 2025 with European backing. That plan emerged as an alternative to Trump’s earlier proposal, which had envisioned U.S. control of Gaza and its transformation into what Trump called the “Riviera of the Middle East,” a plan widely criticized for proposing the displacement of Palestinian residents.
Developments on the ground remain volatile. The Israeli army announced it carried out bombardments in southern Gaza on Thursday, citing earlier gunfire against its forces as a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire. Hamas, for its part, accused Israel of committing a new breach of the truce, saying at least seven people were killed, according to civil defense officials.
The second phase of Trump’s plan foresees the disarmament of Hamas—an idea the group rejects—the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the deployment of the ISF.
Regional Reactions
Media reports indicate that Greece and Cyprus have received invitations not only to join the Peace Council but also to participate in shaping the “day after” in Gaza. We remind that all this time the current neoliberal Greek government, at every opportunity, states that it is prepared to contribute to post-war reconstruction and stabilization efforts, claiming a share of the booty generated during the process for Greek business groups, in exchange for even participating in the occupying force that will undertake the disarmament of Hamas! However, its plans have sparked domestic debate over the political, military, and economic implications of such an involvement.
As invitations continue to circulate and governments weigh participation, the composition and authority of Trump’s Peace Council remain closely watched, both as a diplomatic experiment and as a test of whether a Euro-Atlantic Protectorate can translate a fragile ceasefire into lasting stability in Gaza.
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