Sir Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has emerged as a central figure in high-stakes international discussions about the future governance of Gaza, as the region braces for a post-war transition. Reports from multiple outlets, including BBC and Jewish News, confirm that Blair is being considered to lead a transitional governing authority in Gaza, with backing from the White House, the United Nations, and Gulf nations. The proposal aims to establish a temporary administration to oversee Gaza's recovery and eventual handover to Palestinian control, at a time when the region's future remains fiercely contested and deeply uncertain.
The plan, still under intense negotiation, would see Blair at the helm of the Gaza International Transitional Authority (Gita), a body that would seek a mandate from the United Nations to serve as the supreme political and legal authority in Gaza for up to five years. According to the BBC, this authority would be modeled on the international administrations that previously guided East Timor and Kosovo through their transitions to statehood. Initially, Gita would be based in Egypt, just outside Gaza’s southern border, and only move into Gaza once stability is achieved, accompanied by a multinational force to ensure security.
Blair’s office has made clear that he would not support any proposal that involves the displacement of Gaza’s population, a stance that seeks to distance this initiative from earlier, controversial proposals. In February 2025, former US President Donald Trump floated a plan for the United States to take a long-term ownership position in Gaza, suggesting it could become the “Riviera of the Middle East.” That proposal, which would have involved the forced displacement of Palestinians, was met with international condemnation and has since been dropped. Both the US and Israel later claimed that any emigration from Gaza would be strictly voluntary, but skepticism lingered among Palestinian leaders and the broader international community.
Blair’s involvement in these latest talks is rooted in his long-standing engagement with the Middle East. After leaving office in 2007, he served as the Middle East envoy for the Quartet—a group comprising the US, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations—focusing on economic development in Palestine and laying the groundwork for a two-state solution. His experience, both as a statesman and as a negotiator in some of the world’s thorniest conflicts, has made him a familiar face in peace processes, though not without controversy.
As Prime Minister, Blair’s decision to commit British forces to the 2003 Iraq War remains a defining—and divisive—moment of his legacy. An official inquiry later found that he acted on flawed intelligence, casting a long shadow over his subsequent diplomatic efforts. Nevertheless, his reputation as a determined, if sometimes polarizing, international figure has kept him in the orbit of major diplomatic initiatives.
The current proposal for Gaza’s transitional governance is, in many ways, a response to the ongoing devastation following the Israeli military campaign launched after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack left about 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims that at least 65,502 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, a staggering toll that has drawn condemnation and calls for accountability from international organizations. A United Nations commission of inquiry recently accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza—a charge Israel vehemently denies.
The search for a viable post-war governance model for Gaza has seen a flurry of proposals, each reflecting the complex web of interests and anxieties among regional and global powers. In March 2025, the US and Israel rejected an Arab plan for Gaza’s reconstruction, which would have allowed all 2.1 million Palestinians to remain in place and called for the territory to be governed temporarily by a committee of independent experts, with international peacekeepers deployed to maintain order. That plan was welcomed by both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, but failed to gain traction with the US and Israel.
In July 2025, a French and Saudi-led international conference in New York proposed yet another model: a transitional administrative committee for Gaza, operating under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority. Notably, neither the US nor Israel attended the conference, but the so-called New York Declaration received majority backing in the UN General Assembly earlier this September.
Amid these competing visions, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has reiterated his readiness to work with international leaders, including Trump, to implement a two-state peace plan. Abbas has made it clear that he rejects any future governing role for Hamas in Gaza and demands the group’s disarmament—a position echoed in the Trump administration’s proposals. According to Jewish News, the Trump plan calls for a Palestinian committee to administer Gaza, overseen by an international supervisory board, with the ultimate goal of returning control to the Palestinian Authority.
The UK has also signaled a shift in its approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Earlier this month, the UK formally recognized the State of Palestine, joining France, Canada, Australia, and other nations in a move that reignited debate over the path to a two-state solution. The UK and its European partners have emphasized the need for the Palestinian Authority to undertake a reform agenda to ensure effective governance, while also insisting that recognition of Palestinian statehood be tied to the emergence of moderate leadership. Israel and the US, however, criticized the UK’s recognition as a "reward for Hamas," underscoring the deep divisions that persist among key stakeholders.
Blair’s own plans for the region appear to have been developed independently, with UK officials stating they were unaware of any formal collaboration between Blair and the British government on these proposals. Nonetheless, Blair’s recent meetings with senior US officials—including an August 2025 session with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East adviser—underscore his active role in shaping the postwar landscape. Reports suggest he has expressed interest in chairing the supervisory board of the proposed transitional authority, though the final structure and leadership remain subject to ongoing negotiations.
Throughout all these diplomatic maneuvers, one principle has emerged as a rare point of consensus: the future of Gaza must ultimately be determined by and for its people. As Blair’s office put it, he "would not support any proposal that displaced the people of Gaza." That commitment, while reassuring to some, does little to resolve the fundamental questions of governance, security, and justice that continue to haunt the region.
With the international community searching for a path out of the current deadlock, the coming months will test whether this latest round of proposals can deliver the stability and self-determination that Gaza’s long-suffering population so desperately needs. The world will be watching closely as Blair and other leaders attempt to chart a course for peace—one that, for once, might actually stick.
