The United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are working toward the "near-term establishment and operationalization" of Gaza's Board of Peace as part of the ceasefire's transition into its second phase, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in a joint statement released on Saturday evening. Witkoff's comments came following a Friday meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aaty. It was the first meeting between all four senior officials since the ceasefire agreement was signed in October.
"In our discussions regarding phase two, we emphasized enabling a governing body in Gaza under a unified Gazan authority to protect civilians and maintain public order," he wrote on X/Twitter. "We expressed our support for the near-term establishment and operationalization of the Board of Peace as a transitional administration," Witkoff added. Talks between the four are set to continue in Miami throughout the weekend, Al Jazeera reported, citing a senior US official.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Turkey's MIT intelligence agency chief met Hamas' negotiating team head Khalil Al-Hayya on Saturday and discussed necessary measures to be taken for proceeding to the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, Turkish security sources said. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin met the Hamas delegation in Istanbul within the scope of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, and they discussed steps to be taken to prevent what they said were Israel's ceasefire violations. They also discussed measures to be taken to resolve existing issues for proceeding to the second phase of the plan, the sources also said, without giving details. (Ed note: "Israel's ceasefire violations?" Qatar, Egypt and Turkey are three countries that hate Israel. What chance does Israel have and what will Steve's comment be when Hamas starts shooting at his "Board of Peace?") (Source)
