OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
12:32 PM – Friday, January 16, 2026
President Donald Trump, alongside Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, announced the launch of the second phase of the U.S.-backed Hamas–Israel peace plan, shifting from a ceasefire toward a postwar governance, while raising questions over whether the first phase’s disarmament conditions were met.
“We are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction,” Witkoff posted to X on Friday.
Witkoff stated that Phase Two begins “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza,” and will involve disarming “all unauthorized personnel.”
“Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel,” he continued.
“The U.S. expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage,” Witkoff emphasized. “Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.”
Additionally in his post, Witkoff addressed the unfinished business from Phase One: Hamas’s unwillingness to lay down its weapons up to this point.
Trump backed Witkoff’s announcement in a Truth Social post on Friday.
“Since the Ceasefire, my team has helped deliver RECORD LEVELS of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, reaching Civilians at HISTORIC speed and scale,” Trump wrote of the first phase. “Even the United Nations has acknowledged this achievement as UNPRECEDENTED.”
As chairman of the Board of Peace, the president expressed his support for the new Palestinian technocratic government and the NCAG, saying both are “unwaveringly committed to a PEACEFUL future!”
Trump announced the formation of the Board of Peace on Thursday, promising its members will be announced shortly. He hailed it as the “greatest and most prestigious board ever assembled at any time, any place.”
The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner who married to Ivanka Trump, praised the news on X, saying, “Today marks a historic new beginning in the Middle East.”
Kushner partnered with Witkoff to draft the 20-point agreement to end the years-long war in the Middle East. The new board is the ninth point of the plan, and is expected to deploy an international security force once Hamas is disarmed.
Trump also reiterated his administration’s focus on the disarmament of Hamas on Friday.
“With the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, we will secure a COMPREHENSIVE Demilitarization Agreement with Hamas, including the surrender of ALL weapons, and the dismantling of EVERY tunnel. Hamas must IMMEDIATELY honor its commitments, including the return of the final body to Israel, and proceed without delay to full Demilitarization,” Trump stated.
The final hostage has been identified by Israeli officials as Ran Gvili. His body’s return “is a top priority, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday.
He added, “As I have said before, they can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The people of Gaza have suffered long enough. The time is NOW. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
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