The Board of Peace, established by US President Donald Trump, is moving to create a pilot humanitarian zone in Rafah, southern Gaza, and has simultaneously opened tenders for rubble removal, pressing ahead with its 20-point plan for the territory while the ceasefire with Hamas remains deadlocked. A board official confirmed that the zone is designed to host tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians who would undergo security vetting, and that it would serve as a “starting point” for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the Palestinian technocratic body meant to assume day-to-day governance during a transitional post-war phase.

Under the plan, the zone would be secured by multinational troops from the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), a fledgling body operating under the Board of Peace. The NCAG, currently based in Cairo and unable to enter Gaza, would conduct screening and access control with ISF support. The board official stressed that movement in and out would remain free for unarmed civilians and that participation would be voluntary, with land ownership rights taken into consideration. The pilot is not preconditioned on an agreement with Hamas, though the official noted that a deal would accelerate and broaden implementation.

Viewed from Washington, the initiative is a bid to bypass the stalled second phase of the ceasefire plan and to create facts on the ground that empower the NCAG. Israeli authorities, who now control more than 60 per cent of Gaza’s territory, have opposed any reconstruction before Hamas disarms and described the group’s recent dissolution of its de facto government as a “stunt.” Hamas announced the move on 6 July and signalled readiness to hand over to the NCAG, but talks involving mediators Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the Board’s Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov have yet to yield a breakthrough. Arab and international partners are pressing Israel to accept the Rafah reconstruction phase while urging Hamas to expedite disarmament under the revised plan.

Diplomats and NGO officials working in Gaza have told international news agencies that the concept of closed humanitarian zones with access controls appears incompatible with international humanitarian law. They argue that grouping civilians into demarcated areas could amount to forced displacement, restrict freedom of movement and undermine the principle of impartiality. The UN Security Council has endorsed the Board of Peace, though several major powers did not join Washington’s key Middle Eastern allies in signing on.

The reconstruction tender targets more than nine million tonnes of rubble in Rafah alone, a clearance and recycling effort that could take three years and is intended as a model for the rest of the devastated enclave. Trump has pledged a $10 billion US contribution, with other nations committing over $7 billion. The board official said funds would be raised specifically for the pilot project but declined to give a timeframe, stating only that the intention is to move fast. The Board has said its assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, as the NCAG remains outside the territory and the pilot zone’s location has yet to be precisely determined.