The newspaper explained that Blair's name was put forward to chair a proposed oversight board called the "International Transitional Authority for Gaza." It added that he participated in a meeting held in late August, chaired by Trump, to discuss the Israeli war on Gaza and post-war plans.
The newspaper reported in July that the Tony Blair Institute had contributed to a project to prepare a post-war plan for Gaza. The institute confirmed that its discussions with various parties regarding reconstruction did not include any proposal regarding the forced displacement of the Strip's residents.
Earlier Thursday, during his address to the UN General Assembly, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the PA to regain full control over Gaza, affirming its readiness to assume security and administrative responsibility and disarm the factions.
This comes after US President Donald Trump presented a 21-point plan on Tuesday at a meeting with Arab and Islamic leaders in New York aimed at ending the two-year-long Israeli war on Gaza.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed during the Concordia 25 conference in New York that "the plan proposed by Trump includes 21 points," but he did not disclose details.
The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted unnamed sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday as saying that his government would ultimately be forced to allow the Palestinian Authority to administer the Gaza Strip "because this is part of a plan formulated by Washington."
The commission stated that the US plan includes handing over responsibility for administering parts of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority in the first phase, pursuant to understandings led by Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, with the support of Western countries, including Britain and France.
In contrast, the organization quoted unnamed Arab diplomats as saying that Egypt and other Arab and Islamic countries view the plan with "cautious optimism," but fear that Israel will seek to sabotage it or exploit its loopholes to continue the war. As of Thursday evening, no official statements had been issued by American, Israeli, or Palestinian authorities regarding the plan.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 65,502 martyrs and 167,376 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 442 Palestinians, including 147 children.
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