Media: Trump administration to take leading role in Gaza peace deal implementation

The Trump administration is set to take a leading role in overseeing the implementation of Gaza’s peace deal, U.S. officials say, in a bid to prevent the agreement from collapsing amid rising tensions between Hamas and Israel, as noted by Axios.

"The next 30 days are going to be critical," a U.S. official said.

"We are now in charge of what's going on in Gaza when it comes to the implementation of the deal. We are going to be calling the shots."

Officials highlighted that clashes on October 19 — in which Hamas militants fired anti-tank missiles and Israeli forces responded with airstrikes — reflect exactly the type of incidents they had anticipated during the current transitional period. A second U.S. official added that since President Trump’s visit to the region last week, both Hamas and Israel have taken actions raising concerns about moving forward with the agreement.

Israel has threatened to suspend the deal, citing what it describes as "slow-walking" by Hamas in returning the bodies of deceased hostages. There have also been reports of Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli Defence Forces along the line of contact.

"The situation is still really touch-and-go," a U.S. official said. "Hamas, or whatever's left of them, thought it was going to be business as usual. And the Israelis kind of did, too. So we have to not let them fail. The Gulf states feel the same way."

Vice President Vance, along with advisers Witkoff and Kushner, is scheduled to visit Israel this week to push forward the next phase of the agreement. Their focus will include stabilising the ceasefire, continuing the return of hostages’ bodies, regulating humanitarian aid to prevent Hamas from diverting shipments, and establishing an international stabilisation force in Gaza.

They will also advance plans for constructing the "New Rafah," intended as a model for a Gaza not under Hamas rule, and for disarming and demilitarising the territory.

"Now the real work begins," a senior U.S. official said, stressing the need for expertise in local governance. "People who know how to run a municipality, how to build a water-sewer plant and run it. Local government people. It's a huge challenge."

The official noted the scale of the challenge, with much of Gaza reduced to rubble, and highlighted the difficulties of allowing construction materials into the territory without them being used for "terror tunnels."

The U.S. has also indicated that, should Hamas continue to violate the ceasefire, it could support Israeli moves to regain control over parts of Gaza, in order to expand areas where Palestinians are not under Hamas rule.

By Aghakazim Guliyev