Peace in Gaza?

Dr. James E. Sulton, Jr.

JA International Correspondent

According to the United Nations, as of January 2026, more than 73,600 people reportedly have been killed in the Gaza war, primarily Palestinians, including over 71,400 directly recorded deaths and significant indirect, famine-related fatalities. Over 80% of those killed are estimated to be civilians, with women and children constituting 70% of fatalities in residential buildings. 

The destruction in Gaza is immense, with estimates indicating more than half of all buildings, including 80% of school buildings and 84% of health centers, have been damaged or destroyed. Key infrastructure, including all 12 universities and numerous cultural sites like mosques and churches, has been severely impacted. 

Responding to the horrors that unfolded in the Gaza Strip from October 7, 2023, onward, in early February 2025, Donald Trump raised the idea that the United States would “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, with the stated intention of redeveloping it into a “Riviera of the Middle East.” 

On September 29, 2025, standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump unveiled his 20-point Gaza Peace Plan. With this, he projected a major step toward a permanent end to two years of war. 

The American president proclaimed he would establish a Board of Peace last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He announced the purpose of this new Board of Peace, which he would chair, would surface without any involvement by the United Nations or Palestinian representatives. The Board of Peace was to oversee reconstruction and transitional governance in Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war. Later, Trump broadened the mandate for the new board to promote global stability, lawful governance, and peace in conflict-affected regions worldwide. 

Among the particulars the president articulated in his 20-point peace plan were the relocation of all remaining Palestinians after more than 50 million tons of rubble are extracted from war-torn Gaza. Then luxury resorts would spring up, high-rise apartments would appear, and business zones would emerge. It would be fantastic according to Trump.

This idea had a special name – The Great Trust – Gaza, Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation. 

Many of America’s traditional allies reportedly are declining Trump’s invitations to join the Board of Peace. Canada’s invitation was rescinded after its leadership criticized Trump’s calls to make it the 51st state. 

And while the Board of Peace has a UN Security Council mandate to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, its founding charter creates a level of centralized control that is unprecedented for an international body. For that reason, some observers derisively refer to it as a shadow United Nations or some sort of a redundant effort.

The Gaza plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, return of all hostages, prisoner exchanges, demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, deployment of an International Stabilization Force, transitional governance by Palestinian technocrats under international supervision, large-scale reconstruction, a conditional pathway toward acceptance of Palestinian self-determination and recognition of Palestinian statehood. 

Matters in Gaza remain in flux now and the odds for the success of the supposed Board of Peace and Trump’s 20-point Peace Plan stand at their lowest possible point. This derives from the reality that the United States has abdicated its standing as a negotiator in favor of acting as an exclusive advocate for Israel. New negotiations would need to reopen all the crucial issues created by conflicts fought long before October 7, 2023. 

These include: 

• the travesties engendered by the 1948 war that were closed in Israel’s favor in 1967 by UN Security Council 242 

• the 1947 UN General Assembly Resolution 181 partition borders and its corpus separatum proposal for Jerusalem 

• the return and compensation of refugees; and 

• the political, national, and civil rights of Palestinians inside Israel. 

Many nations insist such talks should stress complete equality of treatment of both peoples and be based on the Hague and Fourth Geneva conventions, the United Nations Charter with its stress on national self-determination, and all relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

Ceasefires in Gaza historically have been very fragile and ongoing clashes, violations, and security incidents continue to challenge stability. Also, the plan (including the Board of Peace) lacks transparency, accountability, or genuine Palestinian participation in decision-making. Israel’s government has expressed reservations or outright objections about some aspects of the Board of Peace, especially involving actors seen as supportive of Hamas (like Qatar and Turkey). Internal political divisions within Israel, Hamas, and the broader Palestinian arena make unified support for the Board of Peace’s authority uncertain. In short, the future for Trump’s Board of Peace does not appear bright.