The US has announced ‘Phase 2’ of the Gaza ceasefire. Here’s why it doesn’t matter for Palestinians.
A displaced persons camp in Gaza, January 2026
Qassam Muaddi writes in Mondoweiss on 15 January 2026:
Phase 2 of the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has started, and it will involve “the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza,” U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff declared on Sunday. Israel has opposed advancing to a second phase, which would include a larger Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, the start of reconstruction, and the transfer of control over Gaza’s institutions from Hamas to a provisional authority of Palestinian technocrats
This technocratic committee, tasked with day-to-day governance, will answer to a U.S.-mandated “Board of Peace” as part of Trump’s 20-point “peace plan.” Israel says this body will be headed by Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov, who is known for his ties to Israel’s ally, the United Arab Emirates. The names of the 14 Palestinian technocrats were also made public, reportedly to be headed by former Deputy Minister of Planning in the Palestinian Authority (PA), Ali Shaath.
But these developments don’t matter. Israel remains the key party capable of influencing the details and likely implementation of the ceasefire — and it will try to use that influence to define what Phase 2 actually looks like.
For Palestinians in Gaza, Phase 2 doesn’t carry much hope that it will radically alter the direction of where things have been heading since October.
Despite the Trump administration’s claims that Phase 2 will see a period of stable governance and reconstruction, the way in which Israel has already systematically violated the terms of the first phase indicates it will only try to further shirk its obligations and deepen the current status quo: a divided Gaza Strip undergoing slow starvation and pummeled with periodic deadly military strikes.