When US President Donald Trump first proposed establishing a so-called “Board of Peace” to oversee governance of the Gaza Strip for a transitional period back in September, the idea was quickly likened to a form of colonial takeover. The UN nonetheless adopted a Security Council resolution in November giving its blessing to the board’s creation—a vote some member states may now regret. The board was officially inaugurated in a Jan. 22 ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, where Trump was attending the World Economic Forum. But Gaza seems almost incidental to its true mission, which appears to be creating a global strongmen’s club—led by Trump, potentially for life—to rival, if not replace, the UN itself.
With many European countries hesitant to join, whether it will get off the ground remains to be seen. But the White House has also announced the Palestinian committee that is supposed to govern Gaza under the board’s supervision. The overall imperial bent of the Board of Peace and its troubling composition seem to confirm fears that Trump’s “peace plan” is leading nowhere good. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation to join the board. Not only is he wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court, but this means he is now pencilled in to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, a territory where many accuse him of directing a genocide.
From The New Humanitarian, Jan. 23. Internal links added.
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Rafah border crossing to re-open
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt—the only crossing not with Israel—is set to reopen Feb. 1 for the first time since it was seized by Israel in May 2024. However, Israeli authorities said they will only allow a limited number of people and no aid or goods, at least for now. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 18,500 people—including 4,000 children—need to be evacuated for medical care not available in the Strip. (TNH)Â
Israel’s military meanwhile accepted the death toll compiled by health authorities in Gaza is broadly accurate. A senior security official briefed Israeli journalists, saying about 70,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli attacks on the territory since October 2023, excluding those missing.
This marked the first time Israel has publicly estimated the toll from the war in Gaza. Previously, the government and military had only provided figures for militants claimed as killed.
Gaza health authorities said the direct toll from Israeli attacks had exceeded 71,660 people, with at least 10,000 presumed buried in the rubble of bombed buildings. For more than two years, Israeli officials and media had attacked the Palestinian figures as “Hamas propaganda,” and dismissed them as “not accurate.” (The Guardian)
Gaza: Israeli attacks and blockade continue
Israeli attacks killed at least 23 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Feb. 4 in one of the deadliest days since Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in early October last year. Despite the deal, Israel has continued to carry out attacks in Gaza on a near-daily basis, killing over 520 people and injuring more than 1,400. On Jan. 31, Israel also killed at least 30 Palestinians, including police officers and children. (TNH)
HRW report calls for a new global alliance
Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual World Report warns that the global human rights system is facing an existential crisis chiefly due to an authoritarian surge led by the United States under President Trump. Nearly three quarters of the world’s population now lives under autocratic rule as the worst “democratic recession” in 40 years hollows out checks and balances, weakens civil liberties, and corrodes the rules-based international order. The report argues that the Trump administration has moved from neglecting multilateralism to actively dismantling it. It notes that the US has withdrawn or is in the process of withdrawing from nearly 70 international bodies including the UN Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization, and echoes Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech in Davos in January in its call for a new global alliance, including countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, to defend human rights norms. (TNH)