Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds

Invitations have been sent on Wednesday to participate in the international "Board of Peace" that is meant to govern Gaza temporarily as part of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in the Palestinian enclave, US officials said.

“Colors That Survived,” an exhibition sharing the young Palestinian artists’ work was held in New York, where art became a vessel of freedom when movement itself is restricted.

For Gaza’s children, whose daily lives are marked by conflict and confinement, seeing their drawings on the walls of a New York gallery is more than an exhibition.

It’s a symbolic journey. Their colours crossed borders, carrying fragments of their voices and resilience into spaces they could not physically reach.

The curators — Rachel who co-organised the event alongside with non-profit organisation, Artists Support, and the team behind The Voice of Hind Rajab — helped transform those sketches into ambassadors of hope, proof that creativity can travel even when bodies cannot.

It’s as if each canvas whispered: “We are still here, surviving, dreaming.”

In just last 48 hours, rains coupled with heavy winter storms ripped through Gaza, destroying nearly 7,000 tents and leaving thousands Palestinians homeless.

Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza conflict, has expressed hope that President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff announcement on the launch of phase two of Trump's 20-point plan to end the conflict in Gaza contributes to consolidating the calm, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Wednesday.

This mini-documentary produced by the Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) alleges that Canadian military components are still reaching Israel despite the country's official claims of a halt in arms exports.

President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian body that will play a role in administering the war-ravaged territory under a phased US plan for Gaza's future.

"Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarisation, technocratic governance, and reconstruction," Witkoff said in a post on X.

Israel and Hamas signed off in October on Trump's plan, which says that the technocratic body will be overseen by the international "Board of Peace" that is meant to govern Gaza for a transitional period.

The 15-member Palestinian body launched on Wednesday will be headed by Ali Shaath, a former deputy minister in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority who had been in charge of developing industrial zones, according to a joint statement by mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

Other members tapped by Nickolay Mladenov, the former UN Middle East envoy who is expected to represent the Board of Peace on the ground, include people from the private sector and NGOs, according to a list of the names obtained by Reuters.

Witkoff did not say how many members the body would include or name them.

Another announcement related to the Board of Peace was also expected to be made at Davos next week, a European diplomat said.

Along with setting up the Palestinian body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), Witkoff said in his post that phase two of Trump's plan "begins the full demilitarisation and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel."

"The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences," Witkoff added.

Egypt has said that that all the members of a 15-person Palestinian technocratic committee meant to administer post-war Gaza had been agreed upon by all Palestinian factions, who swiftly offered their support.

Under a 20-point Gaza truce plan brokered by US President Donald Trump in October last year, the Palestinian territory would be governed by the committee operating under the supervision of a so-called "Board of Peace", to be chaired by Trump himself.

Hamas officials said earlier in the day that the group had opened talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo on the committee, which forms part of Trump's truce plan for Gaza.

President Donald Trump's envoy has said that a plan to end the Gaza war was now moving to Phase Two with a goal of disarming Hamas, despite a number of Israeli strikes during the ceasefire.

"We are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President's 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarisation, technocratic governance, and reconstruction," envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on X.

The second phase will also include the setup of a 15-person Palestinian technocratic committee to administer post-war Gaza. Its formation was announced earlier Wednesday by Egypt, a close US ally and mediator.

JAKARTA: The international stabilisation foce in Gaza is a "temporary measure" and a two-state solution remains the end-goal, said Indonesia's foreign minister Sugiono.