Scepticism and hope: Gaza reacts to Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

Scepticism and hope: Gaza reacts to Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Palestinians fear decisions imposed from outside fail to address justice, freedom, and lived realities in Gaza. Gaza City - Peace, in both the physical and mental sense, feels far away in Gaza. A ceasefire may have officially been in place since October 10, but Israel continues to conduct occasional attacks, with more than 442 Palestinians killed in the three months since. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 UN chief’s last annual speech slams world leaders for lack of cooperation list 2 of 3 The UK is taking political prisoners to evade accountability for genocide list 3 of 3 Israel carries out raids and demolitions, arrests dozens across West Bank It is not just the attacks - daily life in Gaza is also shaped by siege and displacement, and a sense that living conditions will not improve any time soon. Amid this exhaustion came the announcement on Wednesday by the United States of the beginning of the ceasefire’s “second phase” . This phase is about “moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction”, said US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in a social media post. The new phase includes a new Palestinian technocratic administration, overseen by an international “Board of Peace”, chaired by US President Donald Trump. But while everything may sound workable on paper, the reaction from Palestinians in Gaza - one that mixes cautious hope and deep scepticism - is shaped by their lived experience since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. “A lot of political decisions are distant from the reality faced in Gaza... our daily life that is filled with blockades, fear, loss, tents, and a terrible humanitarian situation,” said Arwa Ashour, a freelance journalist and writer based in Gaza City. “Even when decisions are made to ease the suffering, they are obstructed by the Israeli occupation authorities.” “People want everything back like it was before the war: schools, hospitals, travel,” Ashour said. “If the Board of Peace is going to resolve all these crises, then we welcome it. But if it’s unable to do so, then what is its benefit?” Palestinians excluded? Ashour explained that after two years of war and more than 18 years of governance in the Palestinian enclave by Hamas, there is a desire for change in Gaza. “People want to be part of the process of creating the future, not only to accept the implementation of decisions that have already been made,” she said. The governance model envisaged in the second phase of the ceasefire plan does have a Palestinian component. Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority (PA) deputy minister, will head the Palestinian technocratic committee that will manage daily life. But that committee will be overseen by the Board of Peace, to be led by Bulgaria’s former foreign and defence minister, Nickolay Mladenov . Mladenov - who has worked as a United Nations diplomat in the Middle East - is seen as...

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