Netanyahu, Board of Peace agree to form 2 committees on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US-backed Board of Peace agreed Monday to establish two working groups focused on the disarmament and demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

The agreement came at a meeting in Israel between Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner and Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov, according to Netanyahu’s office.

“The Prime Minister and Board of Peace had deep and constructive discussions. It was agreed to establish two working groups,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement posted on the US social media platform X.

The first group, it added, would focus on the “disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza,” which both Israel and the Board of Peace are determined “should be prompt and completed before any reconstruction happens in Gaza.”

The second working group will focus on “sanitation, clean water and other public health issues for the people of Gaza” that also affect people in Israel, according to the statement.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair also attended the meeting, The Times of Israel reported, citing an unnamed source.

Demilitarization, verification

Kushner said his nearly four-hour meeting with Netanyahu was "very, very good," noting they addressed several misunderstandings regarding the peace roadmap.

“I think there were some valid concerns that they raised that they were able to address,” Kushner told Fox News.

He emphasized that the US will not permit reconstruction until demilitarization of the territory is complete.

Kushner clarified that the US will not restrict Israel’s "right to defend itself" against imminent threats. He projected that progress on removing weapons and filling tunnels could begin in as little as 30 days, with more significant developments expected in the next 60 to 90 days. He characterized the deal as a "win-win," noting that if Hamas follows through, a "huge security threat" is eliminated; however, if they do not, Israel will have "a lot more support from the US and others to finish the job."

The talks came after Kushner visited the Egyptian capital Cairo on Sunday accompanied by Mladenov and Blair, where they discussed the same issues with Hamas officials.

Regarding his meeting with Hamas officials, Kushner said that while the group “said all the right things,” it remains difficult to trust an organization that committed "terrible atrocities." He said the administration will give the resistance group a chance to perform based on "actions and steps."

In October 2023, the Israeli army began a deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed over 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000 others.

Despite a ceasefire that has remained in place since October 2025 as part of the first phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, Israel has continued to attack the Palestinian enclave, killing at least 1,260 people and injuring over 4,100 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The second phase of Trump’s plan envisages the transfer of governance in Gaza to a Palestinian technocratic committee, deploying an international stabilization force, and placing weapons under international supervision.

Israel, for its part, is expected to carry out a phased withdrawal from the Gaza Strip to allow reconstruction efforts to begin.