Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has moved to the centre of a fast-shifting diplomatic effort to end the Gaza war, with US President Donald Trump proposing him as the international face of a transitional authority that would oversee post-war governance of the Strip.
The idea, which surfaced reportedly in earlier leaks of US drafts, took on sharper definition this week as the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from Washington with revisions that – as claimed by him – tilt the plan significantly in Israel’s favour. Blair, for his part, hailed the Trump proposal as “the best chance” to end two years of bloodshed, praising its combination of humanitarian relief for Palestinians and security guarantees for Israel, The Times of Israel reported.
A Trump-Netanyahu bargain
Netanyahu left Washington buoyant, broadcasting a triumphant message to his base at home. “Now the whole world, including the Arab and Muslim world, is pressuring Hamas to accept the terms that we created together with Trump to bring back all the hostages… while the IDF stays in the majority of the Strip,” he declared in a video posted on social media.
The Israeli daily reports that behind the bravado, Netanyahu had reason to celebrate. During last-minute talks with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, Israel secured major changes to the US blueprint on the two most sensitive issues: the pace of IDF withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas.
According to The Times of Israel, the updated plan now allows Israeli forces to remain in most of Gaza even after the first stage of hostage releases, with phased withdrawals tied explicitly to milestones in demilitarisation. A permanent buffer zone along the Strip’s perimeter is also envisaged, another long-standing Israeli demand.
On disarmament, the plan toughens language from vague commitments to a detailed process of destroying tunnels, weapons factories and stockpiles, coupled with an internationally funded buy-back programme for Hamas fighters who surrender arms.
Blair’s stamp on the proposal
While Netanyahu won clear concessions, the overall architecture of the plan bears Blair’s imprint. The transitional authority for Gaza is to be composed of Palestinian technocrats, backed by Arab and Muslim states, and overseen by a newly created “Board of Peace.” Trump would chair this board, with Blair serving as its senior international figure and public face.
Sir Tony, who was UK prime minister from 1997 to 2007 and who took the UK into the Iraq War in 2003, has been part of high-level talks with the US and other parties about the future of Gaza. As he served as Middle East Quartet envoy from 2007 to 2015 and has maintained deep ties across the region, the role marks a dramatic return to frontline diplomacy.
In his statement welcoming the proposal, as reported by The Times of Israel, Blair said, “(The US) President (Donald) Trump has put down a bold and intelligent plan which, if agreed, can end the war, bring immediate relief to Gaza, the chance of a brighter and better future for its people, whilst ensuring Israel’s absolute and enduring security and the release of all hostages… It offers us the best chance of ending two years of war, misery and suffering.”
A Palestinian source familiar with the ceasefire negotiations reportedly told the BBC that Hamas officials had been given the White House’s 20-point proposal.
Earlier, a senior Hamas official reportedly told the BBC that the group remained open to studying any proposal that could end the war in Gaza, but stressed that any agreement must safeguard Palestinian interests, ensure a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and bring the war to an end.
The BBC reports that responding to the announcement, Sir Tony said, “In particular, his (Trump’s) willingness to chair the Board of Peace to oversee the new Gaza is a huge signal of support and confidence in the future of Gaza, of the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians finding a path to peace and of the potential for a broader regional and global alliance to counter the forces of extremism and promote peace and prosperity between nations.”
Arab scepticism, Hamas hesitation
Not all mediators share Blair’s optimism. An Arab diplomat quoted by The Times of Israel said that while the updated plan reflects Netanyahu’s priorities, it leaves Hamas little to gain in the early stages. The group would be expected to release all remaining hostages within 72 hours of signing, yet Israeli troops would only partially pull back.
“Convincing Hamas to accept this as is will be very difficult,” the diplomat cautioned, predicting the group would counter with amendments of its own. Egyptian and Qatari mediators are expected to spend several days testing Hamas’s response.
Leading Israeli daily Haaretz noted that several Arab capitals remain wary of Blair’s re-emergence, recalling mistrust from his earlier Quartet role. Both BBC and CNN highlighted that Hamas has yet to issue a formal response to the updated plan, underscoring the uncertainty hanging over the proposal.
The road ahead
For Netanyahu, the US plan offers political breathing space at home and abroad, binding Washington more closely to Israel’s security agenda while deflecting pressure over civilian suffering in Gaza. For Trump, it represents a marquee foreign-policy achievement to trumpet as his re-election campaign accelerates.
For Blair, however, the stakes are personal as well as political. His legacy in the Middle East is chequered, with critics accusing him of favouring Israel during his Quartet tenure and of being too close to Gulf capitals afterwards. Yet his supporters argue that his contacts, credibility in Western capitals, and appetite for complex diplomacy make him uniquely placed to shepherd Gaza through a fraught transition.
If the plan advances, Blair will be tasked not only with overseeing reconstruction but also with helping design the mechanisms for demilitarisation and reintegration, responsibilities that will test both his patience and his reputation.
Whether Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, will accept an international figure like Blair to oversee their governance remains an open question. For now, though, the former Labour leader has become the unlikely linchpin of Washington’s latest push to shape Gaza’s future.
(Kirti Pandey is a senior independent journalist.)
