Israel joins the Peace Council, first meeting to be held on February 19

Israel has joined US President Donald Trump's so-called Peace Council. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this on Wednesday during a visit to Washington, where he met with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Footage after Netanyahu's meeting with Rubio showed a document with his signature, formally bringing Israel into the council. Netanyahu also confirmed this on Twitter. He later discussed Iran with Trump.

According to Trump's plan, the council will oversee the temporary administration of the Gaza Strip. The first meeting will take place on February 19 in Washington and will focus on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Critics speak of a "colonial" model, as there is no Palestinian representative. There are also concerns about the weakening of the UN.

Even after the ceasefire was introduced in October, the situation in the Gaza Strip remains unstable. Palestinian and Israeli figures indicate that at least 580 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict.

The next phase of Trump's plan is to address the most difficult issues – the disarmament of Hamas, which the movement has long refused to do, the further withdrawal of Israel from the territory, and the deployment of international peacekeeping forces.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 72,000 people. Several experts and a UN investigation have called it genocide, while Israel claims it is self-defense.

(reuters, lud)