Board of Peace to brief countries during UN General Assembly on Gaza rebuild efforts

The Board of Peace will hold a briefing for representatives from dozens of countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week to update them on efforts to implement US President Donald Trump’s plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip.

“The briefing will bring together members of the Board, partners, mediators and key stakeholders to take stock of progress to date and discuss the priorities for the period ahead,” reads the invitation sent to countries’ UN missions, which The Times of Israel obtained on Thursday.

“The session will include an update on the (Hamas disarmament) roadmap and ongoing negotiations, near-term priorities and projects, and the broader outlook for the next phase of our collective efforts,” the invitation for the September 23 gathering continues.

“Your participation and leadership would be greatly valued as we advance our shared commitment to transparent, accountable and effective governance for Gaza, with the ultimate objective of achieving peace and prospects for the people of Gaza, security and stability for the people of Israel and integration and partnerships across the region,” the invite concludes.

A source familiar with the matter said representatives from several UN agencies as well as the European Union will also participate in the briefing in order to discuss ways to collaborate.

The source added that the briefing will include a presentation by the head of the committee of Palestinian technocrats tasked with replacing Hamas in Gaza on some of the 71 projects that it plans to implement in its first six months of operations. The Times of Israel first reported on those projects earlier this week.

But they do not have a start date, as the entire initiative has largely stalled amid Israel’s rejection of the Board of Peace’s plan to decommission weapons belonging to all armed factions in Gaza.

The US-controlled body hoped to advance the disarmament plan after Hamas finally agreed to its terms on July 30, after months of negotiations.

Israel’s cooperation is needed to advance the Board of Peace’s plans to rebuild Gaza, but the panel believes that it will be able to coax Jerusalem to cooperate after the October 27 Knesset election.