Jerusalem, Jan 19 (AP) The European Union's executive arm, Russia, Belarus and Thailand on Monday were the latest to be asked to join US President Donald Trump's new Board of Peace that will supervise the next phase of the Gaza peace plan, as a top Israeli official said the initiative is “bad for Israel” and should be scrapped.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin received the invitation and that the Kremlin is now "studying the details" and would seek clarity of “all the nuances” in contacts with the US. The Thai Foreign Ministry said it was also invited and that it was reviewing the details.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has been invited and is ready to take part, according to the country's Foreign Ministry.

European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill confirmed that Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the commission, received an invitation and would be speaking to other EU leaders about Gaza.

Gill didn't say whether the invitation had been accepted, but that the commission wants "to contribute to a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict.” It's unclear how many leaders have been invited to join the board. But a Trump reference in the invitation letters that the body would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict" suggested it could act as a rival to the UN Security Council, the most powerful body of the global organisation created in the wake of World War II.

According to the World Bank's Gaza and West Bank Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (IRDNA) report released last year, it'll take USD 53 billion to rebuild the strip.

Israel's objections to the board ----------------------------------- Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday dismissed the Board of Peace as a raw deal for Israel and called for its dissolution.

“It is time to explain to the president that his plan is bad for the State of Israel and to cancel it," Smotrich said at a ceremony inaugurating the new Yatziv settlement in the occupied West Bank.

"Gaza is ours, its future will affect our future more than anyone else's. We will take responsibility for what happens there, impose military administration, and complete the mission.” Smotrich, a hardliner who opposed the Gaza ceasefire, even suggested that Israel renew a full-scale offensive on the territory to destroy Hamas if it doesn't abide by a “short ultimatum for real disarmament and exile.” On Saturday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the formation of the committee wasn't coordinated with the Israeli government and “is contrary to its policy” without clarifying what its objections were. Israel hasn't been invited to join the committee, unlike Turkiye, a key regional rival.

The final list --------------- The US is expected to announce its official list of members in the coming days, likely during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Board members will oversee an executive committee that will be in charge of implementing the tough second phase of the Gaza peace plan that includes the deployment of an international security force, disarmament of Hamas and reconstruction of the war-devastated territory.

A USD 1 billion contribution secures permanent membership on the board, with the money going to rebuild Gaza, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity about the charter as he wasn't permitted to speak publicly about details of the board, which hasn't been made public.

A three-year appointment has no contribution requirement.

But details of how this will also work remain murky. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday the United Kingdom is talking to allies about the Board of Peace. Although the UK hasn't said whether Starmer has been formally invited to join, he said it's necessary to proceed with the Gaza peace plan's second phase and that his country has "indicated willingness to play our part, and we will.” Running Gaza ---------------- Egypt's top diplomat on Monday met with the leader of the newly appointed committee of Palestinian technocrats who will be running Gaza's day-to-day affairs during the second phase of the peace plan.

Foreign Minister Bader Abdelatty met with Ali Shaath, a Palestinian engineer and former official with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, who was named last week as chief commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza Abdelatty expressed the Egyptian government's “complete support” to the committee and affirmed its role in running Gaza's daily affairs until the Palestinian Authority takes over the territory, a statement from the Egyptian ministry said following the meeting.

He also underscored “the importance of preserving the unity of the Palestinian territories, ensuring geographical and administrative continuity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.” Gaza humanitarian situation still fragile -------------------------------------------- The UN World Food Programme on Monday said it has “significantly expanded” its operations across Gaza 100 days into the ceasefire, reaching more than a million people each month with hot meals, bread bundles and food parcels.

But it warned the situation remains “extremely fragile” even as critical progress has been made in pushing back famine.

It noted that malnutrition has been prevented for 200,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children under 5, while school snacks are reaching 235,000 children in 250 temporary schools.

Still, the most recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis in December indicates that 77 per cent the population is facing crisis-level food insecurity, with over 100,000 people experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger.

The WFP said access to nutritious food such as fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy is limited, with most families still can't afford more commercial goods entering Gaza.

Israeli forces move into Hebron ----------------------------------- Israeli military and security forces launched what they called a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Hebron to dismantle “terrorist infrastructure, eliminating illegal weapons possession and strengthening security." The Israeli military said Monday the operation is expected to continue for several days. Israeli armoured vehicles and soldiers patrolled city streets and put up barriers where operations were being conducted.

Hebron Mayor Khaled Dudin said Israeli forces targeted the area that's home to 80,000 people because it obstructs the construction of additional Israeli settlements.

The West Bank has seen a surge in Israeli military activity since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack into Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.

Three Palestinians killed ----------------------------- Israeli forces on Monday killed three Palestinians, including a teenager, in southern Gaza, hospital authorities said.

Two men crossed into Israeli-controlled areas east of Khan Younis before being shot dead, while 17-year-old Hussein Tawfiq Abu Sabalah was shot and killed in the Muwasi area of Rafah, according to the Nasser hospital. It wasn't immediately clear whether the teen had crossed into or came close to the Israeli-controlled area.

More than 460 people were killed by Israeli fire and their bodies brought to hospitals since the ceasefire went into effect just over three months ago, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. (AP) GRS GRS