On October 9, 2025, however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had welcomed the Trump peace plan in a post on X, saying, “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan.” File
| Photo Credit: ANI
India has been invited by U.S. President Donald Trump to be part of the Board of Peace for Gaza, sources in New Delhi said on Sunday (January 18, 2026). The information was also disseminated by the U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor who shared a letter on social media from Mr. Trump to Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting India’s participation in the Board of Peace for Gaza.
The Board of Peace for Gaza comprises a group of countries that are being invited by the U.S. to provide a governance structure for the Gaza Strip, as Hamas is being pressured to give up its governance role in the territory as part of Mr. Trump’s peace plan.
Pakistan on Sunday (January 18) said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also been invited to the Board of Peace for Gaza.
Also Read: The case for a board of peace and sustainable security
Officials unwilling to be named said that India has the “invite in hand” to be on the Board of Peace for Gaza, though New Delhi has not responded as yet. This comes three days after Mr. Trump announced on social media that the Board of Peace had been formed and that its members would be announced “shortly”.
Trump to chair Board
The Trump peace plan for Gaza was first floated on September 29, 2025, when the U.S. President hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Following the announcement of the peace plan, Hamas agreed to return all 48 remaining hostages who were being held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and Gaza detainees.
Also Read: Peace mirage | On Trump’s ‘peace plan’ for Gaza
As per the plan, Gaza will be administered by the “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic apolitical Palestinian committee”, which will consist of Palestinian and international experts. This transitional outfit will be supervised by the Board of Peace, to be headed by Mr. Trump and include “other members and heads of state”, as well as the United Kingdom’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Board of Peace is expected to handle funding for the “redevelopment of Gaza” till the Palestinian Authority has completed a “reform programme”.
“The Board will support effective governance to achieve stability and prosperity!” said Ambassador Gor in his social media remarks on the invite to India.
Seeking troops for stabilisation force
The United States is expected to work with international partners to develop a “temporary” International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to be deployed in Gaza soon. The U.S. has been in talks with multiple countries across the world for troops to participate in the ISF.
Officials here have maintained that India would not be part of the ISF as it is not a peacekeeping force under the aegis of the United Nations. On October 9, 2025, however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had welcomed the Trump peace plan in a post on X, saying, “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of PM Netanyahu. We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way for lasting peace.”
For decades, India has maintained that a “two-state solution”, ensuring the creation of a Palestinian state that would exist side by side with Israel, is the way to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The two-state solution has also been reiterated by the Ministry of External Affairs on multiple occasions since the latest round of the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023.
Published – January 18, 2026 10:37 pm IST
