A spokesperson from the Kremlin has announced that Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Vladimir Putin to join his newly established ‘Board of Peace’ council.
The United States is anticipated to reveal the official list of its board members shortly. Further details are expected to be shared by the Trump administration during the World Economic Forum meeting currently taking place in Davos, Switzerland.
Members of this board are set to play a significant role in the executive committee overseeing the implementation of the second phase of the peace plan in Gaza.
Back in October of the previous year, the final 20 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were returned to Israel. This was part of an extensive ‘peacemaking’ agreement between Israel and Hamas.
The next phase of Trump’s plan involves deploying an international security force, disarming Hamas, and rebuilding the war-torn region.
Sources in the U.S. have indicated that a billion-dollar contribution will secure a position on the board, with the funds directed toward the reconstruction of Gaza.
Russia is among the countries invited to join the board. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that Putin has received the invitation and that the Kremlin is currently ‘studying the details’.
Additionally, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Putin, has expressed interest in participating, as confirmed by the country’s Foreign Ministry.
France has announced that it does not intend to join the Board of Peace at this time. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated on Monday that the UK is in discussions with its allies about the proposed plans.
100 days following the ceasefire in Gaza, The UN World Food Programme reported that it had ‘significantly expanded’ its operations across the region, providing hot meals, bread bundles, and food parcels to over a million people each month.
Despite these efforts, the situation remains challenging, with 77 percent of the population facing crisis-level food insecurity, and 100,000 people experiencing ‘catastrophic’ levels of hunger.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 460 individuals have lost their lives due to Israeli fire since the ceasefire was implemented last October.
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, has dismissed the idea of a Board of Peace.
“It is time to explain to the president that his plan is bad for the state of Israel and to cancel it,” Smotrich said. “Gaza is ours, its future will affect our future more than anyone else’s. We will take responsibility for what happens there, impose military administration, and complete the mission.”