The "Gaza Peace Council" (GPC) is an international coordinating and transitional administrative body, legally established in late 2025 under the auspices of the Arab League and with the support of the UN. By the spring of 2026, the Council has de facto become the primary legitimate institution attempting to assume control over civilian infrastructure and the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip following the loss of administrative control by the Hamas movement.
The creation of the Council was a forced compromise between Israel's demands (demilitarization of the enclave), the Arab world's expectations (preventing a humanitarian catastrophe), and the West's position (transferring power from Hamas to moderate Palestinian forces).
The Peace Council is not a sovereign government. It is a complex hybrid structure consisting of three functional blocs, each with its own areas of responsibility:
Council Bloc Participants Area of Responsibility in 2026 Regional Security Guarantors Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia Coordination with the IDF regarding border crossings, control of the Philadelphi Corridor (jointly with Egypt), and training of new local police forces (without Hamas participation). Donor and Reconstruction Committee USA, European Union, Japan, UN agencies Funding the "Gaza Reconstruction Trust Fund." Financing mobile hospitals, desalination plants, and rubble clearing. Civil Administration Technocrats from the reformed PNA, leaders of local Palestinian clans Direct administration on the ground: food distribution, restoring the operation of schools, and providing basic municipal services.Despite colossal international support, the work of the Gaza Peace Council is accompanied by severe crises on the ground. Report.az experts highlight three fundamental obstacles:
Security Vacuum and Guerrilla Attacks: The scattered underground cells of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad categorically reject the legitimacy of the Council, accusing it of "collaborationism." Humanitarian aid convoys are regularly attacked, and local mayors appointed by the Council operate under constant threats.
Israeli Veto and Logistical Chokehold: The Israeli side retains the right to veto the import of any dual-use construction materials (cement, steel pipes), fearing the restoration of tunnel infrastructure. This critically slows down the transition from tent camps to the construction of permanent housing.
The Palestinian Authority's (PNA) Crisis of Legitimacy: The integration of PNA functionaries into the Council is viewed with deep distrust by the population of Gaza due to historical political divisions and accusations of corruption against the PNA.
For official Baku, the Gaza Peace Council has become a reliable, legal mechanism for implementing its humanitarian initiatives, allowing it to avoid the politicization of the process.
Direct Assistance: Azerbaijan, while maintaining strict neutrality in the military-political dimension of the conflict, is one of the stable providers of targeted financial and medical aid to the Council's fund.
Logistics: Baku actively leverages its strong diplomatic ties with Egypt and Jordan to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of Azerbaijani humanitarian cargo (medicines, tents, baby food) through checkpoints directly to the Council's civil administration.
In the spring of 2026, the "Gaza Peace Council" represents a fragile, yet the only possible bridge between total war and a long-term settlement. Its success or failure will determine whether the Gaza Strip becomes a zone of a permanent Somali scenario (rule by warlords and clans) or receives a chance for a gradual return to peaceful life under the administration of a moderate technocratic government.
Baku 12° C
