Dutch Diplomat Sigrid Kaag Named to Trump's Gaza Reconstruction Board
The Hague, Saturday, 17 January 2026.
Former Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag joins Trump’s newly unveiled Gaza reconstruction panel, highlighting unexpected international cooperation in Middle East peace efforts. The Board of Peace, announced January 16, 2026, includes prominent figures like Tony Blair, Jared Kushner, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to oversee Gaza’s postwar management under Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
Strategic Appointments Signal International Coalition
The White House unveiled on Friday, January 16, 2026, a comprehensive international framework for Gaza’s postwar management, with Kaag serving on the Gaza Executive Board alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad [1][2]. The appointment represents a significant diplomatic development, as Kaag brings extensive Middle East experience from her role as UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process until July 1, 2025 [2]. The former Dutch Deputy Prime Minister, who served from 2022 to 2024, previously held key ministerial positions including Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Foreign Affairs, and Finance before transitioning to international diplomatic service [2].
Multi-Tiered Governance Structure Takes Shape
Trump’s reconstruction framework operates through multiple interconnected boards, with the Board of Peace headed by Trump himself and including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan [3][6]. A separate Gaza Executive Board, where Kaag serves, will work directly with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), led by Dr. Ali Sha’ath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy planning minister [1][3]. Nickolay Mladenov, former Bulgarian politician and UN Middle East envoy, serves as the executive board’s representative overseeing day-to-day operations [3]. The structure also includes Major General Jasper Jeffers as commander of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), drawing on his experience monitoring the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire reached in November 2024 [1][6].
Implementation Timeline and Current Challenges
The governance framework represents the second phase of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, which Witkoff announced during the week of January 6, 2026, describing it as “a transition from a ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction” [2][6]. The initiative builds on a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025, though significant challenges remain as Hamas has not yet disarmed and has reasserted control over much of the Gaza Strip [4][6]. Since the truce began, nearly 450 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,200 injured, with Palestinians claiming Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire [4]. The Board of Peace is scheduled to convene next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with announcements regarding countries offering troops to the ISF expected within approximately two weeks [1].
Economic and Reconstruction Mandates
The White House emphasized that each Executive Board member will oversee specific portfolios “critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success, including, but not limited to, governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilization” [1][6]. Gaza’s 2.1 million population faces enormous reconstruction challenges following a conflict that began in October 2023 and resulted in over 71,000 deaths, mostly women and children, and over 171,000 injuries [3][4]. The technocratic committee led by Sha’ath has pledged to work quickly to improve living conditions, with Sha’ath stating after the committee’s first meeting in Cairo on January 15, 2026: “The Palestinian people were looking forward to this committee, its establishment and its work to rescue them” [3]. Additional members of both the Board of Peace and Gaza Executive Board will be announced in the coming weeks, indicating the scope of international involvement in Gaza’s reconstruction efforts [1][3].