Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday with Bulgarian diplomat and former U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, set to head the Board of Peace as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip.
During the meeting, which took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, Netanyahu emphasized that Hamas “must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip must be demilitarized in accordance with the 20-point plan of President Trump,” according to a readout from the premier’s office.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with Nickolay Mladenov, who is set to become the Director of the Gaza Strip Board of Peace. pic.twitter.com/hf5PqMrFOh
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 8, 2026
Axios reported on Wednesday that Trump is expected to announce the establishment of the Board of Peace next week as part of Phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, citing two U.S. officials and two sources.
To be chaired by Trump and made up of some 15 world leaders, it is set to oversee the creation of a Palestinian technocratic government for Gaza and supervise the reconstruction process.
According to Axios, Netanyahu’s agreement to advance to Phase 2 of the ceasefire during his meeting with Trump in Florida last week helped pave the way toward progress and brought about Mladenov’s visit.
