List of members of Gaza Board of Peace criticized by Israel, Palestine

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List of members of Gaza Board of Peace criticized by Israel, Palestine

2026-01-19 14:36 Last Updated At：01-20 00:09

The list of members of the so-called Gaza "Board of Peace" announced by the United States faced criticism from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

The list, announced by the White House on June 16, is led by the United States and chaired by President Donald Trump. The statement also appointed the commander of the so-called "International Stabilization Force" in Gaza, the High Representative of Gaza, and formed a "Gaza Executive Board".

The list of members include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The United States also extended invitations to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that the list released by the United States was not coordinated with Israel and contradicts Israeli policy. The statement said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to contact Rubio regarding this matter.

Israeli media said that the Gaza "Board of Peace" includes Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan Hamdan and senior Qatari officials, both vocal critics of Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Wang Jin, director of the Center for International Strategic Studies of Northwest University in China, said the inclusion of members from Türkiye is one of the main reasons for Israel's dissatisfaction.

"Israel believes that the current high-ranking members of the Board of Peace include representatives from countries that it considers unsuitable, particularly the high-ranking officials from Türkiye, which Israel considers unacceptable," Wang said. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued a statement on Saturday, expressing shock at the member list. The statement claimed that the list fully conforms to Israel's demands and serves the interests of Israel's occupation of Gaza. The list is seen as clearly demonstrating a negative preconceived notion regarding the implementation of the agreement's terms, it said.

Wang said that the U.S. proposal faces numerous practical challenges and is unlikely to effectively resolve the Gaza issue.

"The Board of Peace indeed faces several challenges at present, primarily from two aspects. First, the board itself is still just a mechanism, or rather, a mere formality; it cannot be transformed into one with coercive power or real influence in the short term. Second, the board may face many issues in the future, such as funding, personnel, and implementation, which cannot be easily resolved through simple diplomatic and political coordination by the international community, especially the United States and other countries," he said.

40 confirmed dead after high-speed train collision in Spain

At least 40 people were confirmed dead, while dozens of others remained hospitalized after two high-speed trains collided near the city of Cordoba in southern Spain on Sunday.

The accident occurred at around 19:45 local time (1845 GMT) when a train carrying 317 passengers on the Malaga-Madrid route derailed for reasons still unknown near Amaduz, about 20 km from Cordoba, Spanish authorities said.

The derailed train struck another high-speed train traveling on an adjacent track from Madrid to Huelva, causing the latter to derail.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced three days of official mourning for the train accident.

Sanchez canceled his scheduled agenda and traveled to the crash site, where he addressed the media and announced that the national mourning period would begin at midnight on Monday. He pledged a full investigation into the cause of the accident, describing it as a "painful day" for the country.

Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusian regional government, said the impact of the derailment was "extremely violent," noting that some bodies had been found hundreds of meters from the crash site, suggesting that passengers had been thrown from the train.

He warned that more victims could be discovered as rescue operations continue.

Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente said earlier that it was "strange" for such an accident to occur on a straight section of track that had only been laid in May 2025. He added that the Malaga-Madrid service, operated by private company Iryo, was using relatively new rolling stock built in 2022.

Alvaro Fernandez Heredia, president of Spain's state-owned rail operator Renfe, told Spanish state radio network RNE that human error had "been practically ruled out," suggesting the cause was more likely related to Iryo's rolling stock or an infrastructure failure.

Spanish media also reported that in August 2025, the national train drivers' union had raised concerns with infrastructure operator ADIF over defects on the same section of track, including surface damage, unevenness and problems with overhead power lines.