Blair plan backed by Trump seeks Gaza authority to replace Hamas

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has advanced a proposal, backed by the US, to establish a transitional authority in Gaza that would replace Hamas and eventually hand control to the Palestinian Authority, Israeli media reported.

The plan, called the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), would see an interim administration governed by a board of seven to ten figures, combining Palestinian representatives with international and UN officials, according to The Times of Israel.

The plan has been circulating in Washington and among regional governments with the support of the Trump administration, which sees it as a possible route to ending the Gaza war and securing the release of Israeli captives, the report said.

According to the documents cited by the outlet, the transitional authority would oversee technocratic ministries, a civil police force, and an "International Stabilisation Force" responsible for security. It also outlines a "Property Rights Preservation Unit" aimed at ensuring that Palestinians displaced during the war retain ownership of their homes and land.

The proposal is the most detailed blueprint yet for a post-war Gaza, but it has already sparked scepticism.

Palestinians argue that the plan risks entrenching external control while sidelining local voices. After more than a year of devastating bombardment and mass displacement, many Palestinians remain deeply suspicious of Western-backed schemes that promise reconstruction without sovereignty.

Blair's personal involvement has also raised concerns, given his widely criticised role in the 2003 Iraq war.

Arab governments have reportedly pressed for clearer commitments to Palestinian self-determination within the plan. As outlined, the transitional authority is conditional and performance-based, with no binding timeline for transferring power to the Palestinian Authority.

Critics warn this could allow Israel and its allies to indefinitely delay any path toward genuine Palestinian statehood.

In Israel, the plan has met opposition from within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition. Some ministers fear that international oversight would constrain Israel’s freedom of military action in Gaza and restrict future operations.

Others have warned that an international stabilisation force could limit Israeli control over the enclave.

The proposal’s trajectory has been uneven. The Times of Israel noted that an Israeli airstrike in Doha disrupted discussions with Qatari officials, though engagement has since resumed. Blair has been meeting with regional and European governments to build support, but the initiative remains at the draft stage.

The backdrop is one of immense destruction. Over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, entire neighbourhoods flattened, and more than a million displaced since the war began.

For many, international schemes that focus narrowly on governance arrangements without addressing accountability for Israel’s actions or a political settlement appear detached from the realities on the ground.