World Leaders Consider Joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza

Canada, Egypt and Turkey say they are among the countries that have been invited to join.A camp for displaced Palestinians, in Gaza City on Tuesday.Credit...Saher Alghorra for The New York TimesJan. 17, 2026, 10:55 a.m. ETWorld leaders on Saturday were weighing whether to join President Trump’s “Board of Peace,” as the Trump administration tries to move ahead with its ambitious postwar vision for the Gaza Strip.At least three countries — Canada, Egypt and Turkey — said they had received invitations to participate. The board, made up of world leaders and chaired by Mr. Trump, is supposed to carry out his peace plan for Israel and Hamas, among other responsibilities.In a post on Truth Social this week, Mr. Trump called the body “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place.”But much about its mandate and vision remain unclear, and critics have wondered if Mr. Trump hopes to create a kind of American-dominated alternative to the United Nations Security Council.Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada’s was formally asked on Friday to join the Board of Peace, a senior Canadian official said Saturday. Speaking anonymously in accordance with protocol, the official said Mr. Carney planned to accept the invitation.Egypt and Turkey, which helped mediate between Israel and Hamas during the Gaza war, also said they had received invitations. Neither country said whether they had agreed to join.Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s foreign minister, said at a news conference on Saturday that his country was weighing the matter.Burhanettin Duran, a Turkish government spokesman, said on social media that Mr. Trump had sent a letter to Mr. Erdogan on Friday inviting him to join the board. Mr. Duran did not elaborate further.Under Mr. Trump’s peace plan — now enshrined in a U.N. Security Council resolution — the Board of Peace is supposed to help carry out the next steps in the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.The board’s full membership has not been announced. Instead, over the last week, U.S. officials have focused on announcing a series of committees that will have a key role but that will work beneath the board.On Friday, the White House named two executive committees that are to be staffed largely by Mr. Trump’s close aides, businessmen, and Middle Eastern officials. One of the committees is specifically focused on overseeing Gaza. It includes Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, and Yakir Gabay, an Israeli businessman — but no Palestinians.Earlier this week, the United States announced a third committee composed of Palestinian technocrats oversee public services in Gaza. They will face the difficult task of rebuilding a functioning administration in the enclave, which was devastated by Israel’s two-year military campaign.While the Trump administration is eager to show that its postwar plans are moving forward, analysts say there has been little tangible progress on many of the toughest roadblocks, more than three months after the truce between Israel and Hamas went into effect.Israel continues to bomb Gaza on a near-daily basis, at times killing civilians, saying it is responding to cease-fire violations. Hamas has yet to return the body of the final Israeli captive in Gaza. The two sides seem little closer to agreeing on the way forward.Matina Stevis-Gridneff contributed reporting from Doha, Qatar, and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad from Haifa, Israel.Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and Gaza. He is based in Jerusalem.SKIP