Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the Gaza executive committee was "not coordinated with Israel and is contrary to its policy."

Virtually the entire population of more than 2 million people are confined to around a third of Gaza's territory, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings.

Palestinians in Gaza questioned what moving into phase two would actually change on the ground, pointing to ongoing bloodshed and challenges securing basic necessities.

Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov faces perhaps his most difficult task yet. As the newly minted High Representative for Gaza, he must try to turn the US-brokered ceasefire into lasting peace.

Several European countries are considering whether to stop sending personnel to a U.S. military-led coordination centre for Gaza, saying it has failed to increase aid flows to the war-shattered enclave or achieve political change,

President Donald Trump named the first members of his “Board of Peace” executive committee to rebuild and revive the devastated Gaza Strip, but the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the announcement “was not coordinated with Israel” and “runs contrary to its policy.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a press conference regarding settlements expansion for the long-frozen E1 settlement, that would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun