Gaza City [Gaza], January 15: United States President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East has announced the launch of the second phase of a US-brokered plan to end Israel's genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Steve Witkoff said in a social media post on Wednesday that Trump's 20-point Gaza plan is "moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and
reconstruction".
The second phase will establish a transitional administration to govern over the bombarded Palestinian territory and see the "full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza", Witkoff said.
"The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences," he said.
Israel has violated the US-brokered ceasefire more than 1,190 times since it came into effect in October, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, killing more than 400 Palestinians and blocking critical humanitarian aid from entering the enclave.
Hamas, which has condemned Israel's repeated ceasefire violations, did not immediately comment on Witkoff's announcement.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on Wednesday, Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum noted that the Palestinian group previously said it was ready to abandon day-to-day governance in Gaza as outlined under the Trump plan. But the exact makeup and authority of the provisional body expected to govern in the enclave is not yet clear, Abu Azzoum said.
He added that serious questions also remain around the reconstruction of Gaza, where more than 80 percent of all buildings have been damaged or destroyed in Israel's bombardment.
"The durability of the ceasefire itself remains a key variable. Any deterioration could delay or even ruin these plans," Abu Azzoum said.
Source: Qatar Tribune
