White House names some leaders with roles in next steps in Gaza, while
Palestinian committee meets
[January 17, 2026]
By TOQA EZZIDIN, FATMA KHALED and MICHELLE L. PRICE
CAIRO (AP) — The White House released the names of some of the leaders
who will play a role in overseeing next steps in Gaza after the
Palestinian committee set to govern the territory under U.S. supervision
met for the first time Friday in Cairo.
The committee's leader, Ali Shaath, an engineer and former Palestinian
Authority official from Gaza, pledged to get to work quickly to improve
conditions. He expects reconstruction and recovery to take about three
years and plans to focus first on immediate needs, including shelter.
“The Palestinian people were looking forward to this committee, its
establishment and its work to rescue them,” Shaath said after the
meeting, in a television interview with Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera
News.
U.S. President Donald Trump supports the group's efforts to govern Gaza
after the two-year war between Israel and Hamas. Israeli troops withdrew
from parts of Gaza after the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, while
thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to what is left of
their homes.
Now, there will be a number of huge challenges going forward, including
the deployment of an international security force to supervise the
ceasefire deal and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.
Under Trump's plan, Shaath's technocratic committee will run day-to-day
affairs in Gaza under the oversight of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,”
whose members have not yet been named.
White House names some officials to oversight boards
The White House said an executive board will work to carry out the
vision of the Board of Peace.
The executive board’s members include U.S. Secretary of State Marco
Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner,
former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO
Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump’s deputy national
security adviser Robert Gabriel.
Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. Mideast envoy,
is to serve as the executive board’s representative overseeing
day-to-day matters.
The White House also announced the members of another board, the “Gaza
Executive Board,” which will work with Mladenov, the technocratic
committee and the international stabilization force.
Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, Rowan and Mladenov will also sit on that board.
Additional members include: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Qatari
diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi; Hassan Rashad, director of Egypt’s General
Intelligence Agency; Emirati minister Reem Al-Hashimy; Israeli
businessman Yakir Gabay; and Sigrid Kaag, the Netherlands’ former deputy
prime minister and a Mideast expert.
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Children walk over a pile of garbage at a makeshift tent camp for
displaced Palestinians on a beach in Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza
Strip Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Death of boy mourned in the West Bank
In the West Bank, friends and relatives gathered Friday to mourn the
death of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy killed by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Health Ministry, which confirmed his death, said
Mohammad Na’san was the first child killed by the army in the
occupied West Bank in 2026.
Residents said Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas in an
unprovoked attack. Israel’s military said in a statement that the
incursion came after Palestinians had hurled rocks at Israelis and
set tires aflame.
“There was gunfire directed at citizens and farmers, the most
dangerous of which occurred during the storming of the village as
people were leaving the mosques. The streets were crowded with the
elderly, children, women, and elders, and they began firing
relentlessly,” said Ameen Abu Aliya, head of the Al-Mughayyir
village council.
The death was the latest episode of violence to hit al-Mughayyir, a
village east of Ramallah that has become a flashpoint in the West
Bank. Much of the community’s agricultural land falls under Israeli
military control.
Early this year, settlers and Israeli military bulldozers destroyed
olive groves in the area, saying they were searching for Palestinian
gunmen. A children’s park in al-Mughayyir was also demolished.
In 2025, 240 Palestinians — including 55 children — were killed by
Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, while Palestinians
killed 17 Israelis — including one child — in the region, according
to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, two children were killed Friday in Gaza, a 7-year-old
girl and a 16-year-old boy. They were killed in Beith Lahiya, near
the Yellow Line, and their bodies taken to al-Shifa Hospital, the
hospital said. No further details were immediately available.
___
Price reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Jalal
Bwaitel and Imed Isseid contributed to this report from Ramallah,
Wafaa Shurafa from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Matthew Lee from
Washington.
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