Witkoff Announces Start of 2nd Phase of Gaza Peace Plan

WASHINGTON—Presidential peace envoy Steve Witkoff, on Jan. 14, announced the start of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

In an X post on Jan. 14, Witkoff said the second phase will move Gaza from an initial cease-fire into a period that will include the demilitarization of the Hamas terrorist group and the establishment of a technocratic governance model.

He said the second phase will also see the start of reconstruction for the war-torn territory.

The Gaza peace plan began in October 2025, and the overall strategy is supposed to proceed in three phases and achieve the 20-point plan Trump laid out in September.

“Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” Witkoff wrote.

It remains unclear who will comprise Gaza’s interim government. Trump has repeatedly described this government as the Gaza “Board of Peace” and said he will chair the body.

Trump’s 20-point plan includes an offer of amnesty for Hamas members who willingly lay down their arms, as well as an offer of safe passage for Hamas members seeking to leave the territory.

The scope of Gaza’s reconstruction is also unclear.

In October 2025, a representative for the U.N.’s Development Programme shared an estimate that Gaza had sustained about $70 billion in damages over the course of more than two years of conflict.

The first phase of the deal was supposed to include the release of all Israeli hostages, living and dead, held by Hamas.

Thus far, Hamas has returned the remains of 27 out of 28 deceased hostages.

Witkoff warned that Hamas must return the remains of the last person.

“The United States 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,” Witkoff wrote.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he met with the family of the last deceased hostage, Israel Defense Forces Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.

“Hamas is required to meet the terms of the agreement to exert 100 [percent] effort for the return of the fallen hostages, down to the very last one, Ran Gvili, a hero of Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Jan. 14.

Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of other cease-fire violations since October.

On Oct. 19, the Israeli military accused Hamas of firing on and carrying out an explosive attack on Israeli troops operating in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, killing two of their soldiers. Hamas’s armed wing denied knowledge of the attack and said it had lost contact with its forces in Rafah.

On Dec. 13, Israeli forces carried out a lethal airstrike targeting a Hamas commander they said was involved in continuing efforts to procure weapons and undermine the cease-fire. Hamas said civilians were killed in a strike that day and argued that Israeli military operations were undermining cease-fire efforts.

A Hamas spokesman told Al-Jazeera Live on Jan. 14 that the announcement of the second phase of the peace plan is an important positive development. He said Hamas stands ready to relinquish control over Gaza.

“Hamas is ready to engage in internal Palestinian approaches regarding the discussion of the issue of the resistance’s weapons,” the spokesman added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.