Trump delays Gaza ‘Peace Council’ amid Maduro abduction

US President Donald Trump has postponed an announcement that was due this week on the establishment of a "Gaza Peace Council" and the presentation of its composition, following developments in Venezuela, according to Israel’s Maariv newspaper.

The newspaper reported on Sunday, citing senior political officials, that the delay came after the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and their transfer to New York.

Despite the postponement, the same officials stressed that the delay was "purely technical", noting that a decision on the Peace Council had already been taken. They said Trump remains insistent on presenting the council’s full composition in the coming period, with mid-month considered the most likely timeframe.

According to Maariv, the establishment of the council is a key component of the second phase of the US ceasefire plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, which envisages the creation of a civilian–political mechanism to govern the territory in the "day after" the war.

However, the newspaper reported that closer examination of the plan shows the security element — specifically the establishment of an international stabilisation force - to be more complex than initially anticipated.

The newspaper said Israel had expressed scepticism at an early stage over the feasibility of forming such a force.

Washington, it added, has also come to recognise that establishing the force would pose a significant challenge, as countries consulted about participation have not been quick to commit to deploying troops to Gaza, "where Hamas still retains military capabilities and underground military infrastructure".

As Washington assesses that Hamas is unlikely to relinquish its weapons, this has raised concerns among several countries, according to the newspaper, prompting questions over whether the stabilisation force can be established at all.

Against this backdrop, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed a clear message during his meeting with Trump at the latter’s Mar-a-Lago resort, stating that Israel opposes the participation of Turkish troops in Gaza.

In parallel, Tel Aviv has insisted on a "right of veto" over all matters relating to the identity of countries participating in the stabilisation force, particularly with the aim of excluding Turkey, in light of Ankara’s relationship with Hamas and rising tensions between Turkey and Israel.

The newspaper said it remains unclear whether Trump has decided to fully adopt the Israeli position.

It quoted political officials as estimating that the US president is aware of the sensitivity of the issue for Israel and continues to search for regional and international alternatives that would allow him to present the broadest possible settlement.