A senior official with Donald Trump’s Board of Peace has revealed that the group is developing plans for a pilot humanitarian zone in Gaza — a move intended to revive the U.S. president’s stalled peace initiative, even if no agreement is reached with Hamas on the plan’s second phase.
The official did not disclose where the zone would be located, but said the Trump-appointed board has already identified secure areas capable of sheltering tens of thousands of Gazans. Those areas would see an expansion of goods and services designed to meet the humanitarian needs of residents willing to relocate there.
Gaza continues to suffer the devastating aftermath of two years of full-scale warfare, which began following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Following a ceasefire agreement, Trump put forward a peace plan calling for a significant increase in humanitarian aid, governance by a group of Palestinian technocrats, the disarmament of Hamas, and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
However, the plan has hit a wall. The technocrat group — formally known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAG — has yet to enter Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel has continued carrying out military strikes in the territory, where more than 2 million people are struggling with hunger, disease, and displacement. Israel has also announced plans to expand its control over 70% of the enclave.
A separate aid effort run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was shut down after the ceasefire following intense criticism from the United Nations and others over Palestinian deaths that occurred near its food distribution sites.
According to the Board of Peace official, the pilot zone would give the NCAG a chance to exercise governing authority. A newly trained police force would serve as a law enforcement presence, alongside an International Stabilization Force made up of multinational peacekeeping troops.
Three Hamas officials reached by reporters declined to comment on the proposal, and Israeli authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
Negotiations over the second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan — involving Hamas leaders, mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and Board of Peace Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov — have not yet produced an agreement, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The board official stressed that the pilot humanitarian zone would not depend on reaching a deal with Hamas, though he acknowledged that such an agreement would accelerate and expand the effort.
Entry into the pilot zone would be on a voluntary basis, with vetting carried out by the NCAG and supported by the International Stabilization Force. Land ownership rights would also factor into the process, though the official did not detail how the vetting would work.
Aid organizations have long maintained that humanitarian assistance should be distributed based on need alone, without any form of discrimination.
The official said dedicated funding would be raised for the pilot project but stopped short of giving a timeline, saying only that speed was a priority.
On Monday, Hamas announced it had dissolved its de facto governing body in Gaza and signaled a willingness to hand control over to the NCAG, framing the move as pressure on Israel to fulfill other parts of the stalled peace agreement.
The Board of Peace acknowledged Hamas’ announcement in a statement but cautioned that “ultimately, our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza.” Israel dismissed Hamas’ move as a “stunt.”
