Rubio outlines second phase of Gaza plan in year-end news conference

CAIRO – 19 December 2025: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about the second phase of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza as he delivered remarks during a wide-ranging end-of-year news conference on Friday.

Rubio underlined plans to form the so-called “Board of Peace (BoP),” headed by Trump and other notable global figures, to administer Gaza alongside a group of Palestinian technocrats, in line with the plan, Bloomberg reported.

He also spoke about the planned formation of the “international stabilization force (ISF),” which is set to be sent by several countries to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza while Israeli forces withdraw.

His remarks come shortly ahead of a meeting for senior officials from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey with US president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Miami to discuss the upcoming phase of the plan.

Trump’s plan has secured support from Arab and other world leaders and was endorsed by the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2803 last month.

First Phase Progressing

Hamas and Israel are still stuck in the first phase of Trump's plan, which includes a prisoner-captive swap and a ceasefire in place since October.

All living and deceased captives have been returned to Israel over the past weeks, except for the remains of one individual.

Israel has set the condition that all captives must be released before moving to the second phase of the deal, which includes the formation of the ISF and the BoP to oversee a Palestinian technocratic committee responsible for daily administration in Gaza.