TEL AVIV, January 8. . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received Nikolai Mladenov, candidate for director general of the Peace Council, at his office in Jerusalem. This organization, according to the peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, will be responsible for managing the Gaza Strip.
“During the meeting, the Prime Minister reiterated that (Palestinian extremist movement) Hamas must be completely disarmed and the Gaza Strip must be demilitarized according to President Trump's 20-point plan,” Netanyahu's office said in a statement after meeting with Mladenov.
On January 7, news portal Axios reported that Trump could announce the formation of a “Peace Council” as early as next week. US officials said the US leader is expected to announce this as part of the second phase of the plan to resolve the Palestinian land.
As of publication, the said body, chaired by Trump himself, will include “about 15 world leaders.” The “yet-to-be-formed Palestinian technocratic government” will operate under the control of the council, as will the “reconstruction process” of the Gaza Strip.
The body is expected to include representatives from Britain, Germany, Egypt, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and France. According to this portal, the representative of the Peace Council in the Gaza Strip will be the former United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolai Mladenov. Trump said in December that the composition of the Peace Council would be announced in early 2026, noting that it would include the leaders of several countries.
On October 9, 2025, Israel and Hamas, through the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Türkiye, agreed to implement the first phase of the peace plan presented by Trump. The next day, a ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army, according to the agreement, retreated to the so-called golden line, retaining more than 50% of the territory of this land under their control. The second phase of the agreement includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the enclave, the deployment of international stabilization forces, and the start of building structures to govern the area, including a Peace Council.
