Former United Kingdom Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair is set to join a newly formed international body overseeing Gaza, according to United States President Donald Trump.
The announcement comes as part of an American-led plan aimed at ending the nearly two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Sir Tony will be the first named member of the “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump, which would temporarily supervise Gaza’s governance if Hamas agrees to the plan.
“Leaders from other countries” will be added to the board at a later date, Trump said.
The board is part of a 20-point proposal designed to bring an end to the war, including a phased demilitarisation of Gaza and steps to rebuild the territory. Sir Tony described the plan as “the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering.”
A Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire talks told the BBC that Hamas officials had received the White House’s 20-point plan.
Earlier, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group remained open to considering proposals that could end the conflict but insisted any agreement must “safeguard Palestinian interests, ensure a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and bring the war to an end.”
Sir Tony, who led the UK from 1997 to 2007 and took the country into the Iraq War in 2003, has been involved in high-level discussions with the US and other international parties on Gaza’s future.
After leaving office, he served as Middle East envoy for the Quartet of powers, the US, EU, Russia, and the UN, focusing on Palestinian economic development and the creation of conditions for a two-state solution.
In August, he attended a White House meeting with Trump to discuss the territory’s future, which US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff described as “very comprehensive,” though few details were disclosed. Sir Tony said the peace plan presented by Trump was “the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering.”
Under the plan, unveiled Monday evening, the war would “immediately end” once both sides agree. All 20 living Israeli hostages and the remains of more than two dozen believed dead would be returned within 72 hours.
Israel would release 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Gazans detained since the October 7, 2023 outbreak of the conflict.
“Full aid” would be sent to Gaza immediately, alongside the deployment of a multinational stabilisation force to support security and train local police. Israeli forces would withdraw in stages.
Gaza’s day-to-day administration would fall under a temporary transitional technocratic Palestinian committee, overseen by the international “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump, with other members including Sir Tony Blair. “Hamas would have no role in governance, directly, indirectly, or in any form,” the plan stipulates.
Trump added that if Hamas rejected the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have his “full backing” to “do what you would have to do.”
The plan leaves open the potential for a Palestinian state, contingent on sweeping reforms by the Palestinian Authority.
Trump also criticised countries that “foolishly” recognised Palestinian statehood recently, including the UK, Australia, Canada, and France.
Responding to the plan, Sir Tony said, “President Trump has put down a bold and intelligent plan which, if agreed, can end the war, bring immediate relief to Gaza, the chance of a brighter and better future for its people, whilst ensuring Israel’s absolute and enduring security and the release of all hostages.
“It offers us the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering and I thank President Trump for his leadership, determination and commitment. In particular, his willingness to chair the Board of Peace to oversee the new Gaza is a huge signal of support and confidence in the future of Gaza, of the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians finding a path to peace and of the potential for a broader regional and global alliance to counter the forces of extremism and promote peace and prosperity between nations.”
Monday’s plan represents a shift from earlier Trump administration ideas. In February, Trump proposed that the US take over Gaza and create a “riviera of the Middle East,” a concept that involved the forced displacement of Palestinians, which Sir Tony’s office said it would not support.
The conflict erupted after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and left 251 hostages. Since then, Israeli strikes in Gaza have reportedly killed at least 66,055 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
A UN-backed report recently confirmed famine in Gaza City, and a UN inquiry earlier this month concluded that Israel committed genocide in the territory, a claim Israel strongly denies.
