The Trump administration is pushing ahead with the second phase of its Gaza peace plan, aiming to rebuild the southern city of Rafah, Israeli media reported on Thursday, citing senior U.S. officials.
According to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, the aim is to create a “day-after” model for life in the Gaza Strip.
Despite incomplete progress in returning Israeli hostages—only nine of the 28 bodies held by Hamas have been recovered—advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly said that the United States plans to begin reconstruction work and deploy non-Hamas Palestinian security forces in Rafah, which remains under Israeli control.
“The first phase of the deal has been successfully implemented and we are now entering the second phase,” said a senior Trump adviser.
The advisers told Ravid that in the immediate term the focus is on preventing clashes between Hamas and Israeli forces along the “yellow line” of the partial IDF withdrawal in Gaza, as well as on organizing humanitarian aid and continuing to locate the remains of slain Israeli hostages. The Americans are also working on stopping Hamas from committing extrajudicial killings of local clans opposed to the Islamist group, including conveying through intermediaries that the executions of Palestinian civilians must end.
According to the advisers, the administration is also discussing with Israel the possibility of providing a sanctuary in IDF-controlled areas to Palestinians who feel threatened by Hamas.
“Israel has expressed willingness to do so,” a presidential adviser said.
The United States is also working with Egypt, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan to form an international stabilization force for Gaza, alongside plans to appoint a technocratic Palestinian administration to govern the territory.
Officials cautioned that demilitarizing Hamas and integrating new local authorities will be a gradual process. “We can’t expect them to disarm overnight,” one adviser said. “But we will not allow Hamas to reemerge as a threat.”
Rafah, leveled during Israel’s offensive, is set to become the centerpiece of the reconstruction initiative, envisioned by U.S. planners as an early demonstration of postwar recovery and governance in Gaza.
